All I Ever Wanted Was Love
by jiraiya's editor
Summary: She has always loved him. And he is just beginning to remember how to love. Their story would have been the 'perfect' love story except for the fact that perfect love stories don't exist. GaaraOC
1. Introduction

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**Introduction (My Ramblings)**

**Summary**: Never having known what love is really like is very painful- and so it was for Gaara. However, in the midst of a battle against the Leaf shinobi, he discovers forgotten memories along with a forgotten friend that he had once cherished very dearly. Gaara realizes that even an unloved person, like himself, has found acceptance and love at least once in their lifetime, but what happened so that his source of love and object of his friendly affections was taken away? Could it happen again? GaaraXOC

**Disclaimer**: (This goes for this whole story…) I love Gaara. And that's all that's going on between us. I'm not married to him, I'm not his girlfriend (but he is MY boyfriend), I'm just some girl that is madly in love with him. If Masashi Kishimoto ever has the slightest urge to let me and him become even closer, may kami-sama permit him to do so without any hindrances. However, until then, I shall always love Gaara no matter what Kishimoto-sensei does to him. (Honestly, I really did like his original clothes the best.)

Also the titles of the chapters are based off the lyrics of the song _Damaged_ by Plummet.

**Author's**** RAMBLINGS**: I have always hated new characters in fanfics, but for this one I guess it was impossible to do it without one. So hence- Kisa. All I have to say about her is that she looks a lot like the Sound Leaf shinobi girl and Tifa from Final Fantasy VII (just not as racked as her). Her eyes are a very dark brown that it looks black, but when she is under sunlight, her eyes turn into a pretty swirling brown (like Rikku's eyes from Final Fantasy X). Kisa's hair is the same brown as Iruka-sensei's hair and goes all the way down to the bottom of her back and is styled just like Garnet's (from Final Fantasy XI) hair. I'll try to see if I can draw a picture of her sometime. But be realistic, I write, not draw.

One more thing. I made some slight changes to the characters that way they'd fit into the story better. Sasuke doesn't have the cursed seal. Goodness, no one wants it and no one needs it, so why even have it in this story? Personally, I'm beginning to hate Sasuke for all he's worth (which is A LOT). Also, Sakura knows some basic medical techniques. I won't say what basic means, just let your imagination work it out. I'm absolutely sure that you're smart enough to figure it out yourself. (if you weren't smart then I don't even think you could have read this paragraph to all the way down here. XD)

AND NOW, ONTO THE STORY!

Oh wait. Haha! JUST KIDDING! If you love Gaara as much as I do, I highly recommend you go to Narutocentral to download the music video featuring Gaara called Gaara's Terror by Musclebobbuffpants. Its VERY good and I watch it at least 10 times a day. XD

AND NOW! ONTO THE STORY! (For real this time…)


	2. Dreaming Comes So Easily

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**Chapter 1- Dreaming Comes So Easily**

Gaara felt tired, even more tired than he ever felt before. This was strange since he rarely ever slept. Breathing heavily, he glared at the figure standing across from him on another branch of a tree several yards away. The boy clothed in all black, except for the red and white fan on his back and bandages wrapped about his forearms and legs, was also panting as he steadied himself with the trunk of the tree. Red eyes, full of hate, shot back daggers at Gaara as he tried to ready himself for the next assault between Shukaku's arm and his Chidori.

Farther away, below in the lower branches, a blonde hair boy laid unconscious on his back with a girl clad in a red dress crouching next to him. Gaara had picked up the unconscious boy's name while the girl, 'Sakura', had been screaming his name as he knocked him out. Now the Sakura-girl was trying to shake the life back into Naruto with tears forming in her eyes.

'_That girl_,' Gaara thought loathsomely while gripping his forehead, '_Why does she care so much about that Naruto person? Why does she remind me of those I once thought loved and cared for me?_'

However, he shook off those thoughts and gave an evil grin as he imagined the prospect of this turning into a bloody fight, and launched himself towards his opponent who had chakara focused in the palm of his hand. In an instant, their clash was over and the red haired boy felt the full pain searing in his left arm where the Chidori had cut through. Rather than scream in pain, Gaara began laughing his malevolent laugh with realization that if he killed this boy, he would have the greatest sensation of life than he had ever experienced.

The raven-haired boy collapsed from the strain of using his powerful technique on a branch a few yards behind Gaara. A shrill scream filled the usually quiet forest. Again, Gaara's attention was drawn towards the pink-haired Sakura-girl as her scream seemed to hang in midair.

'_That girl, how senseless is she?_'

His glare turned into an evil smirk once again as he turned to his opponent.

"Sasuke-_kun_, eh? Do you really mean that much to that pathetic girl?"

The boy called Sasuke turned towards him. Gaara noticed the look of hatred that passed over his face in a split second even though it was quickly replaced by a smirk resembling his own.

"No," Sasuke replied, "She just has unrealistic fantasies all the time. She's completely useless to everyone…" A look of despondency passed over the girl's features as Sasuke turned his smirk into a warm smile. "EXCEPT our Konohagakure shinobi team #7!"

Sakura's face lit up with hope and nodded with affirmation. Gaara scoffed at Sasuke's attempt to reassure Sakura of what they thought was their 'soon-to-be triumph' in this battle.

"No matter what she is to you or what any of you are to each other. I'll just kill you all. I'll show what true strength is when it comes from loving and fighting for only yourself." With that, more sand poured out of the gourd and formed into a spiky-looking tail. Using Shukaku's arm, the half-demonized boy pulled himself back and threw himself forwards like a slingshot. Sasuke did not have enough energy to move himself out of the catapulting demonic boy's way and was sent flying through tree limbs, eventually coming to a stop at the trunk of a very large tree. The injured boy coughed and droplets of blood spewed forth.

In the distance, he could hear Sakura screaming his name again. Sasuke willed for his body to move, but could not due to the immense pain from what felt like he had broken every bone in his body. Cursing silently, he prayed and hoped that Naruto would wake up in time to get himself and Sakura out of there and buy him some time to recover from the last blow.

_

* * *

Something was wrong. _

_Something was definitely wrong. _

Naruto opened his eyes to a beautiful meadow that was carpeted with green. Splotches of color indicated the location of flowers that grew mainly in the field that he knew so well.

_Something was amiss. _

The sky was a clear blue with a few clouds lazily drifting along. Birds danced about happily and flew all around looking for good feeding grounds. It was like paradise.

_A hellish paradise that is._

Naruto couldn't shake off the bad feeling he had. Sitting up he looked about his surroundings to find that Sakura and Sasuke were approaching him. Sakura wore a sweet smile while eyeing the dark, silent and brooding boy next to her.

Suddenly he realized what was missing.

Sound.

Sakura usually called out his name when approaching him but this time he had heard nothing announcing her presence. Sasuke's footsteps could always be heard even if he kept the silent and cool act on, yet no footsteps were heard. The birds' joyful singing could not be heard either.

_It was surely a hellish paradise._

Naruto tried to speak, but found that he couldn't. He looked down at the palms of his hands where he noticed traces of sand left from the meadow ground.

'_Sand?_'

He looked towards Sakura and Sasuke to warn them, but he was too late. His teammates had frozen and their colors had slowly melted away into the color of sand. The young genin shouted, but once again, the deafening silence consumed any and all noises. Slowly, all the bright and wonderful colors of the happy meadows melted away into the tan color of sand. The whole meadow had turned into a desert-like setting with mounds and mounds of sand.

Naruto felt like throwing up everything in his stomach. The sand reeked of blood- old blood and _fresh_ blood.

_Drip.__ Drip. Drip._

The young boy looked up towards the sky as a droplet landed on his nose. Naruto wiped the liquid off the bridge of his nose to find that it was red… Blood.

He stood there trying to make himself realize that blood had just fallen from the sky. In an instant, more and more blood came pouring forth from the heavens, covering the bloodied sand with even more blood. Suddenly, a section of the sand in front of Naruto began moving. A head appeared, then a neck, shoulders, arms and body, then waist, legs, and feet.

_That red-haired freaky guy! _

_Gaara_.

The Sand shinobi's lips curled into a malicious smile, licking his lips where the rain of blood had splattered. The freaky boy tilted back his head, letting the blood fall into his open mouth. The red-haired boy's chest moved with laughter showing that he was truly taking pleasure in the moment. Instead, of hearing the boy's laugh, Naruto felt its murderous intent echoing through out the field of sand.

Fear crept all around the blonde ninja and immobilized him. By then, the blood rain had drenched both boys including the sand, giving a red haze to everything. Naruto's eyes were wide with terror. Gaara moved his arms in an upward motion and the sand all around rose up in a wave behind him. With a smirk, he brought his hands down before him and the wave of sand came rushing towards the horror-filled boy.

Naruto screamed.


	3. Cause It's All That I've Known

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**Chapter 2- Cause It's All That I've Known**

Naruto sat up, screaming.

Sakura, who had been anxiously straining to see if Sasuke was okay, turned back to her blonde comrade in surprise. Beads of sweat rolled down Naruto's face as he tried to make himself believe that everything that had happened was just a bad dream.

"Naruto?" Sakura ask hesitantly.

The boy didn't hear her, he just stared straight ahead with terror-filled eyes.

"Naruto? Daijoobu?" Sakura asked again, this time shaking his arm.

Naruto blinked and looked down at his shaking hands. His teammate watched him, puzzled.

'_No sand…_' He blinked again and looked towards the pink-haired girl next to him, "It… it… was a dream… then?"

Sakura noticed the shakiness in his voice and grew concerned. She rarely ever saw Naruto like this, and when she did, something extremely terrifying must have happened.

"Hai." Sakura nodded but looked serious, "Naruto, Sasuke… I think he's hurt. That Gaara-person hit him pretty hard… I don't know if he's…"

Her voice was tuned out as Naruto realized what must have happened while he was unconscious.

'_Gaara… the one in my dream…_' Naruto raised his eyes from the distressed girl next to him to a red-headed figure above them.

* * *

Saliva trickled down the side of the demon boy's mouth as he intently watched his prey struggle to stand. 

'_Heh__ heh.. heh.. Sasuke. It's a pity you can hardly fight now. I might as well stop playing around and kill you now. Oh yes, all the blood will come raining down. I'll let it rain down for you, Okaa-san._'

More sand came from the gourd and began taking the form of a giant hand, reaching for his fallen prey.

'_You'll see, Okaa-san._' Gaara smiled, licking his lips. '_Okaa__-san… I'm always a good boy… you'll see._'

* * *

About 35 yards away, under the thickest part of the foliage, where barely any of the sun's rays even touched the upper branches, a pair of pitch black eyes watched the battle carefully.

* * *

The giant hand started to come closer to the spot where Sasuke sat injured. Sasuke watched the levitating mass of sand with glaring eyes even though he was worried that Naruto might not be able to pull through. His jaw clenched tightly as he remembered the look of terror on Naruto's face when they first saw the demon within Gaara unleashed on the left side of its medium. 

Just as the hand was approaching the Uchiha, Gaara saw a flash of pink and red out of the corner of his eye.

'_That girl!'_ he clutched his forehead as once again, images of Yashamaru and the beautiful green beast's sensei (_A/N: XD_) seared into his mind again.

Sasuke looked up to see his teammate standing in front of him in a defensive stance.

"Sa- Sakura?" the boy questioned the reality then realizing the truth he hissed, "Sakura, get out of here! You can't stop him!"

The girl turned to look at him when she was suddenly tackled.

"Naruto? What the hell do you thi- ?" she was cut off short when she noticed something behind the blonde ninja. There lodged on the trunk was a long spike made of sand at the height of where her heart was just a second ago. Sakura froze, taking in the fact that the only reason she was still alive was because Naruto had saved her.

"Sasuke is right, you know." Naruto whispered softly to her as the sand dissipated above them. "You can't stop him…"

Sakura's eyes turned downcast, remembering all the times they had to come save her… especially just then.

"Only I can." The pinked-haired genin looked up as Naruto stood, facing their opponent.

"Sakura-chan, take care of Sasuke." Cold, red eyes filled with surprise looked up at the person whom everyone used to call 'dead last' as he sped towards Gaara to begin the battle between the kitsune and the tanuki.

* * *

The two shinobi, left behind on the large branch of the giant tree, watched silently as their partner went headfirst into the fight. Naruto used his Bunshin no Jutsu several times, but they were unsuccessful attempts due to Gaara's use of Sand Shurikens. Sasuke and Sakura watched in amazement at the two boys' stamina as they kept attacking each other. Their strengths were equally matched as to see that every time one of them attacked the other could counter it in an instant. 

Naruto clenched his jaw, trying to formulate a plan to get past Gaara's defenses. He listed out in his mind all the arms he had brought with him to the Final Chuunin Exam Matches.

_15__ kunai._

_ 30 shurikens._

_ Thin wire string (which he never used other than on missions that took more than one day, where he used it to floss his teeth)._

_ 4 smoke bombs._

_ A fire summoning scroll (don't ask- but if they have scrolls to seal fire, they must have ones to summon it, right?)._

_ Explosive notes._

'_Wait._' Naruto stopped listing, for he had come up with an idea. '_If I can get an explosive note on him… sand can't absorb the full impact of explosions, can it?_'

He quickly dug out an explosive note, and wound it around a kunai. He wasn't sure if it would work… but it had to. He was depending on it.

Livid, yellow eyes watched the blonde ninja as he fumbled with something in his hands. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to work against him. Nothing would work.

* * *

"Sakura, you must hurry… I have to help Naruto. He can't fight that monster alone." Sakura reluctantly tore her eyes away from their teammate. It was true. If they ever wanted to overcome this person… it would take the strength of more than just one shinobi alone. 

She formed a star-shaped seal, hands over-laying each other, with her palms facing Sasuke's chest.

Sakura had learned this chakara-transfer technique in the academy's special course. Being one of the few genins that could control her chakara better than others could, she had been nominated for the course by Iruka-sensei. Of course, it was up to her if she wanted to take the course in the end. However, due to the idea of how she could tend to Sasuke's wounds and always be able to take care of him whenever he was hurt, she eagerly joined, enraging her blonde rival, Ino. This chakara-transferring technique was also considered as a healing method, since it did regenerate a ninja's mind and body energy, even though it was at the expense of the jutsu-user.

Sakura started concentrating all of her chakara into her hands- her mind was troubled by the fact that she wasn't too good with this jutsu. If she failed to properly transfer the chakara into Sasuke, then they might all be finished for good.

An explosion sounded behind her as she prayed with all her heart that this would work. Having gathered almost all her chakara, she pushed her hand seal onto Sasuke's chest.

"Kai!"

_

* * *

How had it come to this? _

Gaara glared at the three shinobi in front of him with murderous intent.

_How did that Naruto-guy figure out how to injure him in his half-demon form? _

Sand slowly poured onto the ground from its once solid form.

_How did that Uchiha Sasuke get healed so that he could use the Chidori on him once again?_

Gaara clutched his side and blood oozed out from in between his pale fingers.

The two boys from the Leaf were breathing heavily as Sakura sat on the ground, holding her leg.

The Sand nin had attacked her just as she landed on the forest floor with Sasuke. He had sensed a nin with little chakara left and attacked with the intention of killing because he thought it was Sasuke, but wound up crushing Sakura's leg as Sasuke blocked off the most of the sand.

Now the three of them were facing the worn out Sand nin, ready to strike if he made any move. But of course, not all three of them were patient.

'_I'll finish this now._'

Black pupils changed suddenly into a violent red as a spiked ball of blue formed in the left hand of Sasuke. Gaara, who was too weak now to do anything to protect himself, stared at the boy with widened eyes.

"STOP!"

A figure landed in front of the Sand nin and took a defensive stance. The four genins who had been in a mortal combat, stared at the newcomer protecting Gaara. A girl that looked no older than the genins themselves was wearing a short white tank top with a short black leather skirt. In fact, everything she wore was short, except for her hair. Her hair was brown and thigh-length, bluntly ending with a red piece of cloth tied several inches from the end. Fastened about her waist where the skirt began, a forehead protector on a red piece of cloth matching the one in her hair reflected its emblem in the light of the fading Chidori.

Gaara looked up at the girl standing before him. The red piece of cloth, tied to the end of her ponytail, swayed in a breeze that had blown its way through the forest. A hazy memory flashed through his mind.

_A small hand held out a red piece of cloth to a little, brown-haired girl sitting close by. _

'_That hair tie__…_'

"Stay away from him. If you make even one move I'll have t-"

"Ki-Kisa?"

The girl standing before him turned around in shock.

"You… remember… me…?" the girl asked cautiously as the boy behind her grabbed the kanji on his forehead and groaned with agony.

"Gaara?"

An aquamarine eye appeared between the darkened eyelids, reflecting the girl's brown swirling pupils with something that looked something like relief. The eye closed again as the boy passed out.

"Gaara!"

The girl whom Gaara had called Kisa caught the unconscious boy just as he fell backwards and embraced him. The three Leaf shinobi stood transfixed by the sight of a girl hugging the fearsome monster-like boy, who was just trying to kill them less than a minute ago.

"I'm sorry, Gaara… I'm so sorry…" the girl repeated over and over quietly to the unconscious boy in her arms. Sasuke and Naruto were awestruck by the way the girl could show such an open act of affection to someone who had stated that he had never felt any love from anyone ever before and that he hated everyone. Sakura, however, recovered from her shock first and pushed herself up off the ground, careful not to move her broken leg.

"Kisa…san?" she asked tentatively. The girl stopped her incoherent words.

"You wouldn't happen to be the Kisa Kawamura from the Hidden Leaf Village, would you?" Sakura continued, carefully picking her words.

Kisa hadn't moved from her position on the ground with Gaara lying in her lap and arms.

"And what if I am?" she questioned her back without looking up.

Sakura silently gulped and took a deep breath to calm her quickening heartbeat. Naruto and Sasuke had snapped out of their daze and were listening cautiously to every word exchanged from one girl to the other.

"Sa… Sakura-chan. Who is Ki-?" Naruto began to ask but she cut him off.

"Kisa Kawamura was not born here in the Hidden Leaf Village. She moved here from another country when she was just 5 with her partially crippled brother, who was 18."

The brown-haired girl turned her head to glare at the genins behind her.

"It seems as if Konoha hasn't forgotten about me yet," She spoke calmly as her glare turned into a smirk.

"Well, its not as if we could, considering you almost killed your teammates," Sakura stated more confidently.

"Heh," Kisa chuckled slightly, her smirk turning back into a glare. "They deserved it… to the very last bit of their missing body parts."

Naruto felt slightly nervous in front of this girl. She seemed to be more dangerous than she let on.

But that didn't sway him from being his obnoxious and loud self.

"You're from the Leaf, aren't you? Your forehead protector says so. Why are you helping that shinobi from the Sand? He and his village are trying to destroy Konoha!" Naruto yelled at the girl.

"I have my reasons… just as you have your reasons for attacking him."

Sasuke, who had been quiet this whole time, looked at the girl. She didn't seem like anything more than a slut, with the way she was attired.

"You know, I don't care who you are or what you've done to make yourself a name in Konoha, but my orders were to beat that guy up…" his eyes narrowed, "And I plan to do that."

With that, the Chidori formed in the palm of his hand again, tearing apart the ground beneath. The giant ball of spiked chakara emitted a shrill noise that sounded like a thousand birds, giving it its famous name. The Uchiha boy began racing towards the girl on the forest floor as the noise drowned out his teammate's cry of warning.

"Sasuke-kun, don't!"

'_Too late,_' Kisa thought, and with one arm holding Gaara in the same position, she stretched out her other arm towards the dark boy coming at them. Just as the Chidori came within range, her hand shot out, backwards grabbing Sasuke's wrist. Sasuke felt all his energy leave him and fell to the ground, only a few feet away from where the brown-haired girl was sitting.

"I told you not to come any closer," She said to the pitiful-looking boy crumpled on the forest floor.

The blonde genin looked at his female companion.

"Sakura? What happened?"

"That's her ability. It's a blood inheritance limit. You remember Akadou Yoroi? In Kabuto-san's team? He sucked out Sasuke's chakara during their fight in the preliminary matches. She is from that clan that has that leeching power. Well, she's one of the last one of them."

"Nani? Didn't that Yoroi-person also have that ability?"

"Yes, and no," the genins looked at Kisa, surprised that she would contribute in the explanation of her past.

"Yoroi is not my relative, so he doesn't possess the same blood as I do- meaning his power is nothing compared to mine."

Sasuke glared at the girl from his spot on the ground as Naruto gaped open-mouthed and Sakura narrowed her eyes.

'_Kuso__ She can't be that strong…_' Naruto thought, trying to coming up with a plan before that girl got away with Gaara. '_I guess this is the only way._'

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" Hundreds of clones appeared, surrounding the small area that they were in.

'_Good thinking, Naruto!_' Sakura thought, smiling inside.

"Sheesh. I thought that by telling you that much about me, you wouldn't try anything as stupid as this. Oh well…" She sighed as she shrugged.

Laying Gaara on the ground, Kisa stood up. She formed her left hand into the half tiger seal while her right palm was faced up. Closing her eyes, she mumbled something that none of them could make out. Suddenly, all the Naruto-clones disappeared with a poof as Naruto and Sakura felt themselves being drained of all their chakara and fell to the forest floor.

A bright ball of three different shades of swirling blue collected in the palm of her hand as she closed it into a fist. Forming the seal of the ram with both hands, she turned both her hands so that her palms faced upwards to see red gem-like glowing spheres embedded in a bracelet bound to each of her wrists. She smiled slightly as she lifted Gaara up again, glancing around at the semi-conscious genins lying on the ground. Making sure that her work here was done, she jumped up into the higher branches and headed off in a southeasterly direction.

* * *

He was alone again. 

The children of the Hidden Sand Village played their game of soccer oh-so-happily.

And there he sat on the swing.

All alone.

He watched them out of the corner of his dark ringed eyes and listened to their laughing.

He wished he could be a part of that.

He so desperately wanted to be friends with the other children of the Sand.

However, he could never be.

Nevertheless, it did not stop his deep desire.

Nor did it stop his body from getting up or his feet from walking towards the other children.

And it definitely did not stop the children from running away when they saw him.

He sighed and held back the tears.

He looked down at his teddy bear for comfort.

Or at least where his teddy bear should have been.

'_Where was it?_'

He looked around, then remembered.

'_The swing… I must have left it…_'

Turning around, he walked back to the swing with his eyes on the ground, wondering why everyone was so scared of him and called him a monster.

When he came near the solitary swing, he lifted his sad eyes to look for his companion.

And there it was.

On the swing.

In a girl's arms.

Gaara gaped at the brown-haired girl as she slowly swung back and forth a little, playing with his brown teddy bear. Then, as if sensing someone nearby, she looked up expectantly at Gaara and smiled.

"Konnichi wa."

Gaara froze. Did she actually just smile at him and say hello?

"Nani? It's not nice to not answer someone who says hi to you!" the girl said with a cute pout on her face.

The little boy had an urge to glare at the girl, but decided not to since it was the first time that he could remember that anyone other than his family actually had a conversation with him.

"This is your teddy bear, right?" the girl asked while Gaara was still trying to decide if he should glare or not.

Gaara nodded.

"It's cute." She commented, holding the teddy bear up in her lap. "Neh… What's your name, nii-san?"

Gaara stared incredulously at the girl. Everyone knew what he looked like and most definitely knew who he was. This girl was… different.

But still..

"Gaara of the Desert…" he cast his eyes down and waited for the girl to scream and run away. Hence, his longest friendship with another child in the Hidden Sand Village would end. However, the girl didn't scream.

He heard the sand crunching underneath her feet as she stood and walked around the swing. She was going to leave now- he just knew it.

He lifted his eyes to plead with her not to leave him alone, but she had come only a few feet away from him, still holding his bear. He watched as her eyes scanned him, as if examining if he was really a human. He noticed that her eyes had a swirl to each of them, making the brown travel in a spiral around the black center. She squinted as she leaned closer to him so that their faces were only several inches away. She lifted a finger and placed it on the tip of his nose. Naturally, his eyes crossed to look down at her small index finger. A small giggle came from the girl as a big smile came onto her face. She stood straight again and held out his teddy bear towards him.

"Let's be friends. I'm Kisa Kawamura."


	4. True Love Is A Fairy Tale

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**True Love Is A Fairy Tale**

**Part 1**

The brown-haired kunoichi landed softly on a tree branch. They weren't too far away from the area where they had been fighting because they had only been traveling for a few minutes. Gently, she laid Gaara next to her- carefully examining him as she did.

Signs were beginning to show as the tanuki bound within Gaara slowly began to take over its medium's body. The girl raised her hand to a horizontal scar that ran across her right cheek. Her swirling brown eyes became unfocused from the boy's face as she remembered a distant memory. She absent-mindedly stroked the scar as the signs of possession of a demon in Gaara became more and more apparent. Sand that had appeared out of nowhere was now swarming around Gaara and beginning to cover his body.

Suddenly, she shook her head, coming out of her thoughts and focusing her mind back on Gaara who was looking more and more like the demon that was inside of him by the second. Shifting around in her kneeling-position, she laid the boy's head in her lap and bent over him. The young girl placed a hand on his cheek, but instead of the smooth skin, sand shifted under her fingers. Kisa slightly frowned as she noticed that Gaara's face was turning into the same shade as the sand around him. Her eyes traveled across his face. It was the same as she remembered… except for the fact that the rings around his eyes had become darker and a kanji on his forehead above his left eye.

"Ai…" Kisa read as her eyes narrowed. This hadn't been there before.

'_Love?__ Why 'love'?_' she thought as she traced over the kanji with her finger.

'_This is strange… Usually when he's unconscious and I'm this close to him, his symptoms would stop and he'd just end up sleeping peacefully… but…_' Kisa felt her body flinch as black eyes with golden pupils shot open.

"You!" the demon shrieked as the livid eyes glared murderously at the girl that loomed above him. "You're the one that kept me locked up back then!"

Kisa looked at the demon lying in her lap with a small amount of fear. This was the first time in many years since she had seen those eyes.

A clawed arm shot out at the girl's throat as she closed her eyes and sighed. She knew the demon's weakness- a physical act of affection- but she had hoped it wouldn't have come down to that. She leaned down and planted a kiss on the tanuki's forehead.

The demon's golden eyes were wide with shock and his arm in midair as the sand dissipated, leaving behind a peacefully sleeping boy in her lap. A small smile came onto her face as she watched him sleep.

Gently moving away strands of stray hair from his face, she leaned down again and placed another kiss on his forehead.

* * *

"Why?" Gaara asked the darkness that surrounded him. 

"Why did I dream of when I first met her? It's been so long…" the darkness responded in silence.

"Why after all this time…?" Still, the darkness gave its muted answer.

Once again, he felt the cringing in his heart, tearing away at his very own soul.

'_Maybe I was just dreaming that she came,_' he thought, trying to erase the pain.

'It must have been a dream… just like now…' Gaara realized with panic, '_Is Shukaku out then?_'

'_I have to wake up!_' He looked frantically around in the darkness, as if there would be some sort of way out. However, there was none.

A sandstorm blew itself around him, taking his mind to the desert where he was born.

* * *

"KISA!" a young man appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the small girl, pushing her behind him. "Get away from her, you monster!" 

Gaara watched the man with large eyes.

'_Why…?_' Gaara looked down at the ground where Kisa had dropped his teddy bear when the man pushed her behind him.

'_Why does everyone call me a monster?_' His eyes turned fierce with hate towards the dark brown, almost black-haired man who was protecting the girl behind him.

"WHY?_" _Gaara screamed at him as the sand around the young man came up around him, confining him to a sand-like cocoon.

"Nii-san!" Kisa looked helplessly at the sand cocoon that began levitating. Tears began forming in her eyes as she ran towards the red-haired boy and grabbed onto his arm.

"Gaara! Don't hurt my brother… please…" she pleaded with the boy as he was beginning to close his outstretched palm.

Gaara stopped his actions as his eyes turned towards the girl holding onto his arm with tears in her eyes. Her brother's scream filled the air and brought back the boy's attention to what he had trapped in the sand. The sand lost its shape, releasing the young man as he fell down to the earth. Gaara began backing away with disbelieving eyes. Kisa watched the boy as he distanced himself from her, then turned and ran, disappearing into sand that was billowing across the desert.

"Sa-chan…" the girl turned back to the young man on the ground and ran to him, embracing him about his neck.

"Kyo-nii-san," she scooted back to get a better look at her elder brother. "Daijoobu?"

A look of pain became more obvious as he tried to stand. "No, I think my leg is broken."

Kisa looked at his left leg with concern as to see that a bit of blood was soaking his pant leg.

"Sa-chan?" her swirling brown eyes traveled back up to her brother's face where he was forcing himself to smile despite the pain.

"Mmh," She answered with a nod. She clasped her small hands together as she closed her eyes and focused on imagining crutches with her mind.

Her hands began glowing blue as chakara began flowing out, taking shape of two crutches. Kyo watched his little sister as she worked, smiling ever so slightly at her abilities. As soon as the crutches were complete, the little girl opened her eyes and smiled as cheerfully as ever. She went over to pick up the crutches that still glowed light blue and brought them over to her brother.

"Here you go, Kyo-nii-san," her face wore the same big smile. Kyo smiled back, lifting himself up off the ground and began adjusting the crutches under his arms.

"Perfect size, Kisa," he commented after taking a few steps forward with the help of the crutches.

"Come on," he said to the girl that lingered a bit behind him. "A sandstorm is about to come. We better get moving and get home as fast as we can."

"Mmhmm," Kisa nodded, picking up the fallen teddy bear off the ground, and started after her brother.

Her eyes stayed focus on the ground for while as they walked, until Kyo took notice of her lack of enthusiasm.

"Sa-chan? What is it?" his voice held concern as he took note to ask about the bear sometime.

Her pretty brown eyes looked up to eyes that matched her own, minus the swirl.

"You didn't have to protect me like that. You know I can take care of myself."

"I know."

"Then why did you?"

"Because I don't like him."

"But I do. He's trying to protect something… by hiding who he really is…" She looked at the teddy bear in her hands. "Just like me."

The brother looked down at the small girl walking next to him with sad eyes.

'_If only you knew the truth…_'

* * *

Gaara stood on the side of the road and watched the siblings as they walked past him. He remembered this encounter with them and what he had done after- wandering aimlessly around the village for a while before heading back home. He felt the urge to follow Kisa and her brother so he could continue to listen to their conversation. However, just as he took a step, strong gusts, carrying the sand he hated, surrounded him. The siblings' backs disappeared as the sand continued to blow about. Soon, the sand itself dissipated and left Gaara alone in the darkness again. 

'_Kisa… Kyo…_' Gaara repeated their names in his head. '_I almost completely forgot about them._'

He cast his eyes down as he remembered how he had attacked Kisa's brother without really meaning to. But how could he have almost forgotten about them? They had influenced him so much in his life. Just as his uncle did. Yashamaru.

He looked up to see Yashamaru standing before him in his apron. His uncle smiled, but it wasn't directed towards him. Gaara turned around to see the younger version of himself slip through the backdoor. Suddenly, the world around him burst into full color.

* * *

"Gaara-sama," Yashamaru spoke, smiling at the small child as he sullenly walked into the house. "Welcome back." 

The small boy looked sadly up at the uncle and tried to smile, but couldn't.

"Gaara-sama, what is it?" the young man asked with concern.

"There's a girl… today, at the playground… she was really nice. But…" Gaara looked away as a questioning look came over Yashamaru's face. Children his age wouldn't have already started liking the opposite gender, would they? Gaara's eyes were filled with pain.

"Her brother won't let her be… my… my…" the little boy didn't know how to say the word he so longed to called another child. "…friend."

Yashamaru was slightly shocked, though his face held no signs of it. By the look on the boy's face, it seemed as if they discussed it anymore, he might start to cry, so he decided against prying into the full story. He could only guess what had happened that afternoon.

"Don't worry about it," the sandy-haired man said with a small smile adorning his face. He turned back around to continue making dinner, ending their conversation. Footsteps resounded in the quiet kitchen as the red-haired boy walked to the door connecting the kitchen to the living room. The door opened and closed and Yashamaru turned around to make sure that the boy had gone into the other room, finding much to his content that he had. He let out a sigh as he set down the spatula in his right hand and walked over to a cabinet. He opened it and reached in to grab a bag of medicines which he, himself, used, since Gaara could never be hurt. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the living room where he found Gaara sitting on a seat, staring at the picture of his deceased sister. He wanted to give a sigh of relief, but he knew better than making too much noise when Gaara sat so quietly like that. Yashamaru set the bag down on small stand next to the door and headed back into the kitchen to finish cooking.

Usually when Gaara came home mentioning someone, anyone, it meant either they were severely injured or dead. He knew that Gaara felt terrible about hurting or killing people like that, since he lost his temper easily and always did things he regretted. Especially this time- the pain looked worse than ever before. Yashamaru sighed. He felt pity for the girl that Gaara mention, hoping that her brother was still alive… or even if she was still alive as well.

**End Part 1**

**Part 2**

Gaara gulped as he stood before the looming door. He knew he could do it. He already came so far after receiving strange looks from all the people in the street. All he has to do was knock. The thing he feared was on the other side of the door though. But he knew that he had to do it. Cautiously, he lifted his hand to knock. Taking a deep breath, he lift his knuckles to tap the wood.

He heard muffled voices from inside the house. Then…

"Yes?" a male voice came from the other side of the door as it began to open. "How may I help…"

Brown eyes met aquamarine ones. And blinked.

"…you…"

Gaara slightly shrunk under the gaze of the young man as he gave a stern look him.

He gulped again and held out the small bag. Kyo gave him a blank look.

"This is medicine," Gaara explained quickly, as to not wanting to be misunderstood. "It's for your… wounds…"

The expression on the young man's face was unreadable.

"Uhm…" Gaara tried to keep up a conversation as he averted his eyes.

"I don't need them."

Gaara looked up at Kyo with shock.

"Bu…"

"I said I. Don't. Need. Them." Kyo repeated with a slight growl in his voice and slammed the door close.

Gaara found himself staring at the wood of the door again. He didn't know what happened. Why was everyone like that towards him? Why?

Tears started forming in his eyes, but he blinked them away. There was no need to cry over this, after all, he had been shunned many times before.

Why was this any different?

He dropped the bag then turned and started walking back home with his head hung down.

* * *

Inside the small house, Kisa stood leaning against the wall next to the front door. 

"...Nii-san…," she began as her brother walked away from the door.

"Do what you want…" he spoke steadily without turning back around.

The small girl gave a slight nod and slipped out the door.

* * *

Silently shutting the door behind her, Kisa picked up the bag of medicine that Gaara had dropped at their doorway. She looked to up see that Gaara was already halfway across the street. 

Taking a step forward, she called out his name.

* * *

"Gaara!" 

Still wallowing in self-pity, Gaara was shocked to hear his name, but at the same time, all the anger within him began to well up. He stood rigid as he tried to contain his anger and frustrations.

"Gaara?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" the boy screamed controlling the sand to attack the voice that called out to him.

After a few moments of silence, Gaara slowly turned his head to see what became of the voice and gasped. There, on the porch where he had just stood a few moments ago, the little girl known as Kisa stood transfixed as a small pool of bright red blood began to stream down her right cheek. Her eyes fell slightly as her hand went up to the horizontal line on her face and was stained by the blood.

Gaara held his breath as she blinked several times at the sight of blood on her fingertips.

"Oh."

"K-Kisa!" Gaara stuttered, "Kisa? Daijoobu-ka?"

"I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry! I didn't know… I thought- …" he continued as he took a few steps towards her.

"I-I… I… I…" he slowly trailed off as he realized that she had not spoken nor had she moved except to blink.

"…Kisa?" Gaara asked hesitantly.

Her eyes suddenly perked up as her swirls of brown regained their sparkle of life.

"Oh. It's okay. I'm alright, Gaara," she spoke happily (almost too happily, Gaara thought) as she wiped away some of the blood on her face.

Her left arm raised up showing the small demon child a brown cloth bag.

"See? I can use the medicine you brought us now."

It was his turn to be speechless.

"Oh."

* * *

Gaara nervously looked around him. They were sitting on the ledge of the roof of the building that held as the Kazekage's office. He had stood in front of the building many times looking up, amazed by its great size, but he had never been on the roof of the giant ball looking down. He visibly gulped. 

"Ne? You don't like my secret place?" a small girl next to him asked.

Gaara looked uneasily at her.

"Iie. It's just… it's… kinda…" he took at peek at the ground far below him, "High."

Kisa giggled at this remark.

"Gomen ne? I really like this place. I used to come here all the time when I was kept h-," she stopped herself and Gaara looked at her puzzled.

"You were kept here?" Gaara questioned her, as she turned red.

"No, no, no, no, no! I mean… uhhh…" she looked around panicking, "I mean… just forget it. Just forget what I said."

The red-headed boy looked at her with some amount of concern, but decided not to push it. He was already lucky enough to be sitting here next to someone he could call 'friend'.

Kisa turned a bit so that she was facing Gaara, and began digging through the bag of medicine. Gaara eyed her out of the corner of his eye, somewhat curious to see how someone treated a wound. Then, remembering that it was he who gave her the cut, he cast his eyes down.

"Gomen."

"Huh?" Kisa looked up from her task, confused.

"I-I… y-your face…" Gaara stuttered. Kisa, however, just gave him a warm smile as her went back to applying the medicine over the wound.

"I said its okay… Gaara-kun."

Gaara's eyes shot wide. No one had ever used his name in such an endearing way.

"Wh-What did you say?" he asked in disbelief.

"Nani?" Kisa looked a bit confused as she began putting the bandages on, "I can't call you 'Gaara-kun'? How about Gaara-chan? It seems to suit you better."

"No, it's not that," Gaara said slowly, trying to believe that someone was actually being this nice to him.

"Then what is it, Gaara-chan?"

"It's… it's just that that's the first time anyone has ever called me that."

"Oh," she blinked several times as she put the medicine back in the bag, "How about 'Gaa-chan'?"

Gaara calmed down a bit as he looked away.

"I guess its okay."

After several moments of silence, Gaara turned to look at the girl. She had turned her back to the edge of the building so she could stare at the moon.

"Ah… Kisa?" Gaara started.

"Call me Sa-chan. Yeah?"

"Oh. Um... Sa…chan," Gaara said, testing out the sound of her name, "Isn't your brother going to get worried about you being out here so late?"

Kisa tore her gaze from the moon to look at her companion.

"Nope," she answered simply. Gaara looked a bit shocked at her instant reply.

"How come?"

"He knows that I can take care of myself," she said as if she had answered that question a million times before, "Shouldn't your parents be worried about _you_, Sabaku no Gaara-san?"

Gaara slightly froze, then cast his gaze to the far away ground.

"My… mother. She died when I was born… And my father… he's the Kazekage. He doesn't have time to be worried about me."

"Y-Your father. He's the Kazekage?" Kisa asked.

"Yeah. He's the Kazekage." He noticed that she visibly stiffened at the word 'Kazekage'.

"Then… who takes care of you?"

"Yashamaru," Gaara answered a bit more cheerfully, "He's my uncle."

"Oh…"

"But that's not why they aren't worried," his features were overcome by sorrow, "You already saw what I can do."

Kisa studied him. He seemed normal enough… what could he possibly do to frighten people so much?

"You control sand, right?"

Gaara nodded sadly. Kisa watched him for a moment… she didn't like seeing him sad or hurt. There had to be something that she could do…

"Ne, Gaa-chan?" Kisa asked, getting his attention, "Let's meet at here tomorrow night, okay?"

"Ah…" Gaara looked a bit surprised, but of course he would do anything to keep her as his friend, "Alright, Ki-"

Kisa shook her head as she waved a finger.

"Ah… Sa-chan."

Kisa smiled happily as she nodded.

"Goodnight then."

"… Goodnight."

**End Part 2**

**Part 3**

"Ohayo, Gaa-chan!"

Gaara turned his head to see his best friend coming along the pathway to where he sat on the swings.

"Oh. Ohayo, Sa-chan."

"Ne, ne, Gaa-chan," she said as she approached the swing set, "Guess what!"

The boy smiled. He despised guessing games; however, Kisa was hopelessly cute whenever they played it. And to such cuteness, Gaara fell weak.

"Nani?" he asked, waiting for her to pout and tell him that he had to guess or else it wasn't a guessing game.

"Iie! You _have _to guess, Gaa-chan!" she exclaimed, pouting, "You _have_ to guess or else it isn't a guessing game!"

Gaara smiled pleasantly. Now he would guess three times before she got too excited to wait and tell him some outrageously funny story that happened, usually between her and her brother.

"Did you find a pet?"

"Iie!"

_One down.__ Two more to go._

"Did Kyo-san burn something again?"

"Iie!"

_Two down. One more to go._

"Did…" Gaara looked around for some idea, "…the fat lady get stuck in the doorway again?"

"Iie!" Kisa said laughing.

Gaara relaxed in the seat of the swing as Kisa sat down next to him. He was done with his part of the game so he listened to the tale she had to tell today, laughing at what happened.

'_It's hard to believe that we can laugh together like this… after almost a year._'

"Ne, Gaa-chan," Kisa said as her laughter died down, "What's on your mind?"

He looked at her, still smiling.

"I was just thinking about how it's almost been a year since we met already."

Kisa blinked for a moment.

"REALLY?" she thought aloud as she counted on her fingers, "Wow! You're right! Tomorrow will be one year…"

She paused.

"We should do something tomorrow!"

Gaara looked clueless.

"Eh?"

Suddenly a strong gust blew itself through the playground located in the gorge between two high rocky walls, picking up sand as it went along. The two children instinctively ran to each other, as the boy put up a sand barrier around them, shielding them from the flying sand. After a moment or so, the wind began to die down. As the sand began to dissipate, Gaara let down the barrier.

"Yuck."

Gaara turned his head to look at Kisa. She stood looking down as her brown tresses, as she began to pick at it, trying to untangle it.

Gaara tried to muffle his laugh; unfortunately, his efforts were to no avail. Kisa glared at him.

"It's bad enough that my hair gets covered with sand, but it's a real bother when its all tangled," she complained and winced as she pulled out a knot.

The little boy watch with mild interest as his friend's features recoiled at the pain, for he did not know the feeling. Feeling a wave of sorrow wash over him, he turned away because he didn't want her to see the look on his face. However, she did.

"Gaa-chan."

Gaara looked down.

She was going to ask about Shukaku- but he didn't want to talk to her about Shukaku right then- he didn't want to talk about Shukaku ever. Something about the tone in her voice made him feel sick to his core when she tried to implore on the subject of the demon inside him. Yes, Kisa had met that horribly insane demon within him before.

* * *

If there was something that she hated, it was sandstorms. Gaara never knew why- she never wanted to talk about it- but he had found her in her room one night during a sandstorm, scared to death and shivering underneath her bedcovers. Kyo was out working late that night and Kisa pleaded with Gaara not to leave her there all alone. They ended up sitting together on Kisa's bed, with the little girl clinging frightfully onto the little boy's arm, waiting hours for the storm to pass. Soon enough, Kisa drifted off into a peaceful sleep, gently leaning on Gaara's shoulder. Gaara fought hard to stay awake (he didn't want Kisa to see what lay inside him)- however, with the muffled roar of billowing of sand outside, the steady breathing of Kisa next to him, the consistent beating of her heart, and the warmth of her arms limply wrapped about his right arm- Gaara was soon lulled into a deep sleep. 

When Kyo came home that night (a few hours later), he found the two children sleeping soundly next to each other. Smiling softly, he let them be as he went on to do his own business. Kisa woke up in the midst of his rummaging and left Gaara in her room to go greet her brother. Little did she know what she would come back to.

Gaara, who was still sleeping, had lost his ability to keep Shukaku in check when he fell asleep, and began to transform in the absence of his friend. Hearing an evil squeal of delight, Kisa and Kyo hurried back into Kisa's room to find a demon in Gaara's place. When the brother realized what must have happened (unlike Kisa, he knew the truth about Gaara), Shukaku lashed out at him, fearing that he might have to be locked up for however long before his medium fell asleep again. Kisa, being naive and uninformed, jumped in front of her lame brother, fending off the attack with two blue short swords that had appeared out of nowhere. The little girl faced the demon, demanding to know what happened to Gaara, while looming demon just shrieked with an evil laugh.

It then dawned upon the fact that this demon was what lay inside of her best friend, which is why she had never heard of him speak of sleeping. Kisa stared long and hard at the demon, as if she were trying to see if it was actually her friend. Her blue weapons disappeared as she began to walk towards the demonic creature. Shukaku, unsure of what to do with the little girl who took small steps towards him, began to strike at her with sand attacks of needles and blades. None of the attacks hit her, but none of them had missed either. With the simple movement of her hands to her wrists, she began to glow the same blue as her weapons. The demon raccoon's attacks were rendered useless against the advancing girl. Suddenly, the girl launched out her attack when she was in range. She threw her arms about the solidifying sand that encompassed the body of her best friend and began to cry, wetting the sand that she held on. Just as the demon was about to pry her off of himself (how dare a mere human girl touch _him_?), he felt a strange sensation of feeling like nothing. A second later, the two occupants of the house found themselves sprawled in Kisa's room with an innocent figure of Gaara lying asleep in Kisa's arms as Kisa still hugged him tight, crying.

* * *

"Ne, Gaa-chan." 

Her voice brought him out of his reminiscing.

"Do you want to come back to my house with me?" she forced a smile for him, "I need to go wash my hair."

Gaara smiled back and nodded with a small amount of understanding. After all, he could never really understand why Kisa kept her hair so long in a place that was windy and hot.

* * *

"I'm home!" Kisa called out as they entered her house. 

"Oh?" Kyo looked up from his comfortable spot on the couch (with boxes of cereal lying about), "You two are already back?"

The two kids nodded.

"Welcome home."

"Hai," and the two children turned to go up the small spiraling staircase to Kisa's room… but not before Kyo blinked several times and actually looked at his little sister, or rather, his little sister's hair.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kisa and Gaara turned to look at Kyo, wondering what was so hilarious.

"Nani?" Kisa asked, slightly annoyed.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Y…You…HAHAHAHA! Your- HAHHAHAHA! Ha.. HAHAHA…HAIR!"

At this, Kisa narrowed her eyes at her brother, glaring a rain of swords at him.

It didn't stop his mirth.

"Ugh…" Kisa threw her hand up in defeat as she turned and stomped up the stairs. Gaara, who had been trying hard not to laugh at the sight of Kisa's hair either, began to follow his best friend up the stairs when Kyo called him.

"Oy, Gaara," Kyo called out, wiping away the tears that had formed from laughing so hard.

'_It was a good laugh though,_' Kyo thought as Gaara turned to look at him, '_And it's thanks to him, too. Kisa and I haven't been able to laugh like this… since then…_'

"Why don't we leave Kisa to her own beautifying, ne?" Kyo asked as Gaara looked at him a bit confused.

Kisa? Beautifying? It didn't match up.

"Huh?"

"Come down here," Kyo invited, patting the open spot on the couch, "I don't want you two to begin plotting against me either."

Gaara laughed at this and descended from the stairs to go to Kyo.

"So!" Kyo said, sitting up a bit more and grabbing the nearest cereal box, "Tell me. Tomorrow is going to be one year since we met you, right?"

Gaara smiled really big.

"Mhmm!"

"Ne," Kyo leaned in closer, "What are you getting for Kisa?"

Gaara looked confused.

"Huh?"

* * *

Gaara stood before Kisa's door with his head bowed. He knew that he could do this- having met Kisa and Kyo gave him the strength to do so. He also knew something else… 

He loved her.

It must be true- how love didn't have anything to do with age.

He had known that he loved her for a while now, but how could he have known that it was love? How could a boy who never had anyone love him, feel love for another person?

Never.

However, he understood this feeling now. He knew what it was.

And he wasn't going to give it up.

Looking up, Gaara knocked on her room door.

"Gaara?" Kisa opened the door, "Come on in."

Kisa sat down on her bed with a towel wrapped about her head and patted the spot next to her. Gaara silently obeyed, sitting down. His eyes nervously traveled about her room, though he had already been in her room many times before.

Next to her bed was her dresser and mirror. She had all sorts of cute little trinkets lined up on the dresser that even Gaara found amusing. On the side of the room across from her bed, was her room door. Above her bed was a shelf that held her most precious belongings- a necklace (a simple gold chain that held a sapphire orb as a pendant), two chakram (each held a bar in the middle), and another thing that caught Gaara's eye… his teddy bear.

He smiled.

"Ne," Gaara said to the girl who was drying her hair next to him, "Isn't that mine?"

"Huh?" Kisa looked to where Gaara's finger pointed, "Oh! Yeah. Do you want it back?"

"Nah," he answered, shaking his head, "You can keep it. To remember me by, okay?"

Kisa nodded happily, "Friends forever, right?"

"Yeah," Gaara agreed, smiling, "Friends forever!"

'_Alright__… its time._'

His hands went to his waistband, pulling a piece of dark red cloth out of the folds. Kisa looked at it questioningly.

"What's that?"

"It-Its… f-for… for-" Gaara stammered while madly blushing.

'_I can do this!_' his mind protested against his mouth.

"ITFORYOURMOUTH!" Gaara squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he held the red cloth out to his best friend.

Kisa blinked.

"Eh?" Kisa raised an eyebrow, "For my mouth?"

Gaara's already red face flushed into a bright neon pink, "Ah…"

Kisa smiled gently and leaned over to place a kiss on his cheek. Then she took the cloth out of his hand.

"Thank you!"

Gaara sat there, still over-blushing.

"Ah… I meant to say that it's for your hair," Gaara looked down, twiddling his thumbs nervously as his friend tried tying it about her mouth.

"Oh!" Kisa laughed, pulling the piece of cloth off her face, "Why didn't you say so? You're acting so silly!"

* * *

Downstairs, Kyo was still reading his book when a knock was heard on the door. 

'_Who could it be,_' Kyo wondered.

'_Could it be Kimishu?_' Kyo wondered dreamy-eyed. Kimishu was one person that Kyo would never shut up about to Kisa and Gaara. He just HAD to mention her at least 124 times a day. It was really a wonder why he never just went up to her to profess his love.

However, instead of being greeted by a desert beauty, two dark faces loomed in the doorway.

Kyo narrowed his eyes.

"What is it this time?" he spoke quietly, "She's home right now, with the Kazekage's son. You better make this fast."

The two cloaked figures smirked as Kyo stepped out of their quiet home.

* * *

A few moments later, Kisa stood in front of Gaara with the dark red cloth tied to the end of her slightly-longer-than-shoulder-length hair. 

"How does it look?" Kisa asked, twirling around.

"I-Its looks good," Gaara stammered again- his face was still slightly red, "Does it help?"

Kisa bounced about her room a bit before answering, "Yeah."

"Oy!" Kyo called out as he stuck his head in the room.

The two kids looked up at the dark brown haired man.

"I have to go out for a bit," Kyo explained, "A bit of grocery shopping."

Kisa and Gaara just stared at him.

"What?" Kyo looked at them, "Don't give me those looks- I'm not going to go find Kimishu!"

The two just rolled their eyes as Kyo sighed.

"Though it would be lovely to see her right no-"

"JUST LEAVE ALREADY!" Kisa and Gaara shouted at him.

"Hai!" he called out as his head disappeared.

Kisa walked over to her bed and collapsed on it, with Gaara still sitting there.

"He really needs to get a girlfriend," she commented as her best friend silently nodded his head in agreement.

* * *

Outside Kisa's room, a dark faced Kyo stood with his head bowed. 

'_Gomen ne, Kisa,_' he lifted up sad eyes to look at the door, '_Please forgive me for lying to you._'

With that, he turned to leave.

* * *

Late that night, Kyo silently slipped through the front door. He walked into the living room, where he found his little sister fast asleep on the couch with blankets wrapped about her. (And cereal boxes littering the surrounding area.) 

"Kisa," Kyo quietly called.

His little sister's eyes fluttered open to the voice of her brother.

"Kyo-nii-san?"

"Where's Gaara?"

Kisa sat up.

"He went home a couple of hours ago," she replied looking over at the clock. Then remembering their parting conversation, she smiled, "We're meeting tomorrow at the swings again. We're going to go visit every place we've gone to before the past year!"

Kyo forced a smile for her. The reason for his coming back so late was that he had been out with Kimishu- as Kisa had already figured. But he had been with her, only to request for her aid. He was happy that Kisa had been able to spend time with Gaara while he was gone.

He put his crutch on the ground as he slowly squatted so he was at Kisa's sitting height.

"Kisa…" Kyo began slowly and carefully, "I… I have something to tell you."

* * *

Gaara was greeted in the morning with the sound of birds chirping inside of his house. Being part of the Kazekage's family, they had been able to afford several luxuries. 

He sat up. Though he had not been sleeping- of course he couldn't- he had been exhausted and was resting his eyes. The sun in the circular window shone onto his face. He stretched then stood up.

Then he remembered. Today. It was today! Today would mark the beginning of the second year that he had a friend.

Gaara grew excited- he couldn't wait.

He hurried out of his room to the kitchen where Yashamaru was already preparing breakfast.

"Gaara-sama!" Yashamaru looked slightly surprised, "You seem very energetic today!"

"Mhmm!" Gaara answered nodding with his mouth full of food. He swallowed.

"Today is the day that I met Kisa-chan and Kyo-san!"

Yashamaru hid his true emotions and smiled at the boy.

"Really? What are you going to do today then?"

Gaara held up his hand to count off the numerous activities that they had planned last night to do today.

"We're going to meet at the swing set, then we're going to go visit all the places that we've been to the past year, then we might go have a pinic!"

Inside, Yashamaru wanted to glare at the child. How on earth could this child enjoy the life he had while he had stolen the life of his beloved sister? Yashamaru had never actually met this Kisa-chan or Kyo-san. From what he heard, it seemed as if the two were responsible for everything.

But then, Yashamaru inwardly grinned, he knew something that Gaara didn't know.

"I'm off!" Gaara called out as he ran out the door.

Yashamaru looked up from his cooking.

And smiled.

* * *

Gaara hurried along the path towards the swings. 

Though he knew that Kisa would probably be late again, he knew he wouldn't be able to sit still at home.

Kankuro snored. Loudly. Not only that, Kankuro always slept in.

Gaara visibly winced as he walked along.

Temari would probably be off in her own little world again. She did seem to care about him somewhat, but it was in a very off-handedly manner.

He rounded the corner to the swings. As he came near, he saw something in the seat of the swing. The swing itself swung slowly back and forth in the morning breeze.

Gaara approached the swings.

On the seat was his teddy bear.

On the teddy bear was Kisa's necklace.

On the necklace, next to the pendant, there was a note.

_Gomen_.

Gaara stared incredulously at the bear he held in his hands.

He pulled the note off the necklace that was hanging about his teddy bear's neck.

His hands were shaking as he unfolded the note.

_Gaara, _

_ A lot of stuff happened after you left last night. I can't tell you what… they might come after you, too. There was a reason why they let us become friends. Now I know why. We had to leave. I'm really sorry, Gaara. We'll miss you a lot. Sayonara. I love you. – Kisa_

He couldn't believe it. He dropped the note on the ground as he backed away from it.

She was joking.

It was a prank.

Gaara couldn't think straight.

He turned around and ran for Kisa's house.

* * *

The little boy found the door locked, but when he used sand to carry him up to Kisa's window he found her room empty of all her belongings. 

He didn't want to believe it.

Gaara landed softly on the ground as he began to pound on the door.

"Kisa!"

"Kyo-san!"

'_They HAVE to be home…_'

He continued to pound on the door.

Breezes blew by, covering part of the teddy bear on the ground with sand.

Soon, a tired, confused, and anguished boy collapsed on the ground in front of the house he knew was empty.

'_It's only a joke,_' he told himself over and over.

Lying crumpled up on the ground, Gaara began to let out the tears he had held in.

Minutes passed, as the little boy cried himself to sleep.

He welcomed the darkness that consumed his consciousness… unleashing the demon within.


	5. I'm Damaged

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**I'm Damaged**

**Warning:** this chapter is kinda like almost rated-R it has some intentional 'rape' but it's not really 'rape', more like loss of articles of clothing… here and there, no descriptions of anything AT ALL. Oh… and if ye are weak of stomach at the description of blood, please skip the nice chunk of nasty descriptions of loss of limbs. I think I'm a pretty gross person, aren't I?

Hm. Now that I think about it again, you might not have understood the ending to the previous chapter. You see, as I recalled from one of Gaara's 'talks', he stated that he lost a bit of himself whenever Shukaku took over his body- therefore, he doesn't sleep. But yeah, so if he 'lost' a part of him when Shukaku took over at the end of the last chapter, he would have become even more murderous (like the way he is now) and doesn't remember what its like to love (like the way he is now).

Now… onto the reason why you are here.

* * *

Gaara blinked a few times, before he sat up. 

'_Where am I?_' he thought as he held his forehead and looked about the room. He was sitting on a bed that was in a corner of a large room that held a kitchen, a table, a desk, and a dresser. An open door across the room led to what looked like the bathroom.

'_Huh…_' Gaara noted, '_My sand gourd is gone._'

He shrugged it off- he could always make more. Suddenly, he realized whom he had been dreaming of.

"…Kisa."

Pain began to bear down in his mind as he tried to fight it off. He brought his head down onto his knees as his arms covered his head.

'_Was it all a dream? Did I really see her again?_'

Confused thoughts continued to swirl around in his mind when he realized that he had no idea where he was.

* * *

The red-haired boy wandered outdoors- it seemed that he was still in the forest and he had been sleeping in a cabin- some sunlight managed to make it all the way through the foliage. He welcomed the warmth of the sun on his skin. Looking about, he noticed that there was steam rising up from something behind several large boulders at the back of the cabin. 

'_What's that?_' he let his curiosity carry him to the source of the steam.

Just as he rounded the side of the boulders, he saw something he didn't want to see- clothes on the ground and a girl in a hot spring. He expected her to do something other than just sit there and look at him, however that's exactly what she did- simply look at him. Gaara stared at her, not that he really meant to. Finally deciding that there was actually a girl there, he looked away at the sky.

"So you're finally awake, huh?" the girl asked, not moving.

Gaara glanced back at her.

"You really don't like talking do you?" the girl sighed as she stood up and began walking towards the silent boy.

The demon boy wasn't looking- he honestly wasn't- he was just watching her as she came up out of the water… naked. It was Gaara, after all- it made no difference to him. Apparently, it made no difference to her either. She grabbed a towel off the ground and wrapped herself in it. She then began wringing out all the water in her waterlogged, long, brown hair. During this whole time, Gaara just watched her silently and she ignored him.

She bundled up the clothes on the ground and then began to walk back to the cabin, still ignoring Gaara. The red-haired boy stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do.

'_Was that…Kisa,_' he questioned himself, '_That _was_ Kisa, right?_'

Gaara shook his head as he recalled himself from the trance, '_Did I just see Kisa without any clothes on?_'

He stormed back into the cabin.

"KISA?"

The girl was in the middle of dressing and only had her skirt and other underclothes on.

"Yeah, Gaara?"

Gaara gaped at her, turning several shades of red before he could turn his eyes away.

"What? You didn't seem to mind that I was naked before." Kisa looked at him annoyed as she pulled her usual white tank on.

Gaara was really confused and pissed now. Why was she being like this? How could she act this way after talking to him for the first time in years?

"What are you doing? Why are you acting like this?" he asked in a shaky voice, "D-Do you enjoy seeing me suffer?"

Kisa narrowed her eyes at him.

"You can't be her…" Gaara couldn't bring himself to face the girl in front of him anymore and stared at the cabin floor as if it would give him some sort of answer to his questions, "She- Kisa… Kisa…"

Suddenly, Kisa moved in front of him and lightly placed a finger on his nose.

"And… what am I supposed to do if I'm not?" she asked solemnly, as his eyes crossed themselves again to look at her finger- just as they did so many years ago. Gaara was speechless. Somehow, he found all his questions fully answered, yet still unanswered within the silent conversation as their eyes met.

Was this really her? Yeah. And no.

"I'm…" Kisa took her finger away as her eyes fell and tears formed in her eyes, "I'm… sorry. I was wrong to think that we could just go back to being the way we were before. I just… I… I really missed you."

She fell into his arms as she began crying uncontrollably into his chest. The boy, who was unsure of what to do, wrapped his arms about the sobbing girl.

"I… I miss you… so much…" she choked out between sobs.

Gaara's only response was to hold onto her tighter.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright, I'm pretty sure a whole lot of Gaara-for-myself-only fans are going to come at me with… uh… butter…knives… now. But LOOK! Reread that second section of this chapter again! READ IT! Did you notice something VERY important? Yep. Gaara did not have even **one _single nosebleed_**. SEE? Read it again! Gaara's **NOT** a pervert! - now THAT'S _my_ type of man.

* * *

Gaara nervously shifted in his sitting position on a mat on the ground next to a window. Kisa was making food in the small kitchen. 

'_When did she learn to cook?_' Gaara pondered, '_Back then… only Yashamaru's cooking smelled this good_.'

His stomach growled as blush formed on his pale cheeks. Gaara remembered that it had been a while since he ate- but it mattered not because he was too pompous to admit that he needed food. After all, it was Gaara- and for Gaara, food was for fools.

"Ah… Kisa?" Gaara started.

"Nani?" Kisa called back.

"Ah… Uh…" he was unsure of what to say.

'_Why am I so nervous?_' he argued with himself, '_Its _Kisa_. We were really good friends. Why…?_'

Then, Gaara realized what his mind had said- _We were_.

We _were_.

His stomach interrupted his train of thoughts. Looking embarrassed, Gaara turned away to look out the window again.

"It's… nothing."

As the warmth of the sun's rays fell on his skin, he remembered what it felt like to have Kisa so close to him again, what it felt like to have her in his arms again. He remembered how she cried on for what seemed like eternity to him, but had actually only lasted a few minutes. The red-haired boy smiled… inside.

'_Did it really feel this good to be around her back then?_' he questioned himself, '_Or is this just a dream too good to be true?_'

Gaara looked up at a pair of long legs that had appeared in front of him. Kisa stood before Gaara's seated figure, holding out a bowl of noodles to him.

"Here, Gaara, you must be starving- you were out for a few days, you know."

Gaara blinked before carefully accepting the food from her. _A few days_?

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"You're welcome," she answered cheerfully. Kisa turned to kick another mat over and sat down a few feet away from Gaara. She studied her bowl of noodles before picking up some with her chopsticks and blowing on it to cool it off. She looked up to see Gaara watching her with an unreadable expression and smiled at him.

"You know," she said as she twirled her chopstick to get more noodles and blew on it again, "It _is_ edible. I'm not a horrible cook like Kyo."

She stuck her tongue out at him before shoving the noodles in her mouth. Gaara blinked at her before looking down at his bowl in his hands again.

"Itadakimasu," he recited monotonously as he broke the chopsticks apart to eat.

He looked up at Kisa to see her staring at him wide-eyed. She choked on her noodles as she struggled to finish swallowing.

"Oh no!" she gasped, "That's what I forgot!"

Quickly, she set her bowl on the ground as she bent her head, "Itadakimasu."

Lifting her head, she carefully opened one eye to look around, as if expecting a bolt of lightening to come down from the heavens to smite her. Gaara smiled… inside again. Kisa glanced over at Gaara.

"Ne," she said thoughtfully as she picked up her bowl and chopsticks. "That was kinda like back then… wasn't it?"

Gaara gave her a strange look. "Back then?"

Kisa gave him a sad smile, but shrugged his question off.

The two finished the rest of their meal in silence- neither wanting to break the peaceful atmosphere or the self-assuring knowledge that they were together again.

Gaara found Kisa quietly watching him finish the rest of his noodles- (she had already finished hers)- and blinked.

"Don't you know it's rude to stare?"

Kisa just smiled her mischievous smile again.

"Whoever said I was staring at you and not your food?"

She got up and took Gaara's now-empty bowl and headed for the sink.

"Oh…" Gaara tried remembering his manners, "Thanks for the food- your cooking was very good."

Kisa smiled, "Yeah… I suppose it is better than Kyo's in many ways."

There was a silence. She hadn't really mentioned where Kyo was, now that he thought about it. Gaara figured that he must be with some new girl or something… he should have been married by now…

"Where's Kyo-san?"

Kisa didn't turn around. She finished washing the last bowl and set it on the counter to dry, then dried her own hands on a towel.

Gaara grew uneasy. Good things never happened when Kisa was silent.

"Kisa?"

She turned around and tried to smile.

"Nii-san passed away."

Gaara watched her. Death was nothing new to him. In a way, he was the basically like the grim reaper- killing people left and right. But… there was something about the way the pain was displayed on her face.

_'The pain of losing someone dear to you…?_'

"I figured you would want to know once you came around… but I never would have guessed I'd have to tell you today…" she trailed off, as her eyes grew distant.

Somehow, some way, Gaara didn't want her to be pained. He wanted…

"Kisa…"

She gave him a reassuring smile as she continued.

"Well, I guess I might as well get it over with."

_

* * *

six years ago, the day of Gaara and Kisa's anniversary of having met_

Heavy rain pelted the figures of two people riding a horse through a dark forest. It was well past midnight, as the travelers had begun their journey before dawn. The horse kept at a dauntless gallop. Trees flew by as they raced through the thickness of the overgrown forest. The second figure felt a sudden weight added to the bundle in front of him. The little girl had fallen asleep, or at least she had been when her head bobbed right back up, trying to stay awake.

"Kisa, daijoobu-ka?"

"Hai. Kyo-nii-san."

The older of the two, lifted his determined eyes as he urged the horse to go faster.

_

* * *

nineteen__ hours later_

Kyo nervously shifted in the seat of the saddle. Dark figures surrounded the horse and its riders, slowly edging towards them in the small clearing.

"Return her to us, Kyo," a deep voice came from one of the cloaked figures.

The horse neighed softly as the little girl sifted nervously in her brother's arms.

"No."

A soft laugh came from the figure that spoke before.

"You made a deal with us… do you really believe that we will let you walk back out of it?"

The soft laugh was carried around the encircling group.

"She _belongs_ to us. Return her now…" a hand stretched out from within the cloak's fold, holding a kunai, "Or else…"

_

* * *

three__ days later_

Kyo felt himself giving away to sleep.

He had been walking for hours- far behind him lay the rotting corpses of a once healthy and beautiful horse and several nins from their home country.

Fog and mist covered this area of the forest, making it seem as if he had been walking in a dream.

On his back, Kisa clung loosely to him, completely exhausted and fainted. He couldn't blame her, it had been a long day for such a small child.

Just as his eyelids closed, they shot open again. He shook his head, he had to stay awake… for her sake.

_

* * *

thirty__ hours later_

"Stand aside."

An old wrinkled hand stretched out over a crowd that had formed around the unconscious bodies of two siblings. His sharp eyes stared down at the two that were obviously from the Hidden Village of the Sand.

His eyes narrowed when he saw the little girl with blood stained hands.

'_What happened to them?_,' he wondered.

"Hurry," he said turning around as his long, white robe blew about in the light early morning breeze, "Bring them to the hospital. There's not a moment to spare."

_

* * *

four__ days later_

Kyo and Kisa both bowed down to the Hokage with their foreheads touching the floor of his office.

"Please, Hokage!" Kyo pleaded and begged, "If there is anything that you can do…"

"Please," Kyo went even lower on the ground (if possible).

Kisa felt herself coming to the verge of tears, '_Why doesn't this old fart understand our situation?_'

The Hokage sat facing his large glass ball, acting as if he were pondering. His eyes went to the little girl. '_Isn't she the same age as **him**?_'

The tired old man let out a long sigh. There was no other way. Their coming here had proved advantageous for the Hidden Leaf Village.

'_Now we know what you have been doing in that village of yours, Kazekage,_' the Hokage thought grimly, '_You and your monstrous projects… How far will you go?_'

The Hokage stood up from his seat and walk around to where the two siblings of the Sand were bowing. Knowing what the Kazekage was doing would prevent Konoha from meeting any sort of destruction in the near future. The Hokage was in a huge debt- something he did NOT like to be in.

"Very well," the Hokage said, bringing the two siblings to look up at him, "You may remain here… in concealment."

He looked at the little girl again, "…We owe you both many thanks. And as the leader of Konoha, it will be my job to make sure that the two of you will be safe here."

Kyo and Kisa looked up at their new kage.

"In concealment?" Kyo questioned him.

"Yes, in concealment," the old man answered, "However, it's not the concealment you're probably thinking about. Only a few trusted others and I will know you and your younger sister's true identity. Otherwise, the rest of Konoha shall just know you as emigrants from outside the village walls. I'll give you two a place to live near these headquarters."

Kyo bowed down again in thankfulness. Kisa, however, looked at the Hokage blankly. Smiling, the Hokage guessed what she had in mind.

"You, Kisa, will be attending the Academy for young ninjas, starting tomorrow."

A smiled graced her lips as she nodded and thanked him again.

_

* * *

the__ next day_

Kisa stood outside the door leading to her new class. She had never been in a class before- she already knew it was because of her abilities- but it didn't stop her from being a little nervous.

'_Okay, maybe I'm more than just a little nervous…_' Kisa shuffled a little closer to a big man attired in all black with a black trench coat and bandana standing next to her. She had to start her new life, but clinging onto others certainly wasn't the way to do it.

Kisa put on a determined face.

"Are you nervous?" asked Ibiki.

"Iie," Kisa replied in a shaky voice, "Not at all."

Kisa and Kyo had been introduced to Morino Ibiki yesterday- the Hokage introduced him as their bodyguard, if ever needed. Kyo had been a bit nervous around him, seeing to as his appearance was threatening within itself. Kisa, however, quickly embraced him as a friend- her first friend in all of Konoha. Ibiki, in return, embraced the small child as a friend.

A small, quivering hand stretched out to open the door.

'_I have to start a new life…_'

"Iruka-sensei," Ibiki called out in greeting as he stepped in the room, ushering the little brown-haired girl in as well.

A young man turned from his writing on the chalkboard to look at the visitors.

"Ibiki," he quickly strode over to the two and spoke in an urgent whisper, "Ibiki, can't you see that I'm in the middle of class?

"Yeah, but," Ibiki gently pushed the little girl forward, "her…"

Iruka looked at the young girl in surprise.

"Her?"

"Yes, this young lady is Kawamura Kisa," a voice explained

"Oh. Yes, yes, Kisa, eh?" Iruka nodded his head in agreement, and then looked up in surprise at the voice, for he knew it well.

"EH? HOKAGE?" the young teacher looked surprised, "What are you doing here?"

The elderly man made a gesture with his hand, motioning for the teacher to follow him outside of the classroom. The young man obeyed.

"Kisa," Ibiki kneeled down to the girl's eye level, "Why don't you go ahead and find a seat?"

Kisa nodded her head and timidly turned to the rest of the curious students to find a spot. She gulped. Why were they all staring at her so funny?

Her eyes skimmed the whole class. Everyone in there seemed to be around her age. It made her happy, the only person she ever met that was her own age was Gaara. But Gaara wasn't here now.

Her eyes continued to travel across the room until they fell on the figures of a boy with a high ponytail who was sleeping and a boy with sunglasses quietly sitting at the same table, while the rest of the class stirred uneasily. She turned back to the dark man next to her.

"There?" he looked over at the spot she indicated, "I'll be waiting downstairs in the lobby when class is over, alright?"

Kisa shyly nodded as she turned to go to her chosen spot.

"I'll see you after class," Ibiki said standing back up and left the room.

Kisa climbed the steps to the spot next to the sunglasses boy and the napping boy. As she went up, her new classmates turned and watched her curiously, none of them making any eye contact.

"Ah… excuse me…" Kisa quietly nudged the sleeping boy with drool coming out of the side of his mouth, "Hello?"

"Don't bother with him- he's really asleep."

Kisa looked up surprised at the sunglasses boy's sudden input.

"Oh."

"Go ahead and sit down, you're attracting a lot of attention."

Kisa, surprised, looked around. He was right. All the other kids were staring at her. She gulped and sat down. The rest of the kids slowly one by one turned back to their own conversations.

"Ah… Arigato," Kisa turned to thank the boy with sunglasses, who sat on the other side of the drooling boy. "I'm-"

"Kawamura Kisa."

Kisa blushed and nodded. This boy was strange, he hadn't turned to look at her the whole time that she had began talking to her. In fact, he hadn't seemed to move ever since she came into the room. And his sunglasses…

'_Maybe he's blind?_'

"I'm Aburame Shino," the boy continued, still not looking at her, "And this is Nara Shikamaru. He always sleeps during class."

"Oh… It's nice to meet you," Kisa said, bowing slightly.

"Yeah," Shino continued to look straight ahead, or at least it seemed like it- his sunglasses were completely tinted- it was impossible to tell.

Suddenly, the door to the classroom opened again as the teacher walked back in, looking slightly disturbed.

"Oh, Kisa. You found a seat already," Iruka looked up at the new girl in his class. "I trust must have already met Shino and Shikamaru…"

Iruka trailed off as he noticed the young boy napping. He picked up a chalk eraser off the board and chucked it with all his might at the sleeping boy.

"NARA SHIKAMARU!"

Kisa stared wide-eyed at the pineapple-head boy next to her as he groggily sat up. His classmates all quietly giggled and Shino still looked straight ahead.

"Nani?"

"I'm guessing you haven't met the new student then."

"Eh?" The boy called Shikamaru looked around then noticed a person sitting to his right.

"Who are you?"

"That's Kisa!" a student at the table in front of them called out.

"Kisa?" Shikamaru eyed her warily, "Geez. A girl is sitting here now? How troublesome."

The class started again as the students started taking notes as Iruka-sensei began lecturing again, Shino stared on, and Shikamaru settled down for another nap. Kisa gave a small sigh. Shikamaru was right… with the way things were starting off, this was going to be a bit troublesome.

_

* * *

two__ days later_

Kisa stretched her arms. She wasn't used to sitting at a desk for so long- she usually spent her days running free around the Hidden Sand Village with Gaara. Now, she had to sit in an uncomfortable desk for hours.

Kisa looked over at the sleeping figure of Shikamaru. She really envied him- how on earth could he fall asleep so easily like that?

On the other side of Shikamaru, Shino sat looking straightforward again, except today he had a notebook out and was twirling his pencil.

It had been three days since Kisa had started going to class. She found most of what Iruka-sensei had to teach very interesting. She liked coming to class, except for sitting still the whole time.

She shuffled about in her seat.

"You're being too noisy, again."

Kisa looked to her left to see an agitated Shino. Well, she couldn't really tell that he was agitated- that big collar covered up most of his face and his eyes were covered by those super-tinted sunglasses. The only way she could tell that he was annoyed was by his eyebrows- they were slightly scrunched- if you could say that by just looking at eyebrows.

"Ah… gomen," Kisa quietly apologized.

Shino went back to the twirling of his pencil as Kisa went back to listening to Iruka-sensei.

"Alright, any questions?" the young teacher asked.

"SENSEI!" a blonde boy in the front stood up.

Kisa watched him curiously. He seemed to be the class clown- always being loud and pulling pranks.

"IRUKA-SENSEI! I cannot do the assignment!" he practically yelled.

"Naruto!" Iruka looked at the boy annoyed, "You don't have to yell. Quiet down!"

"Ne, gomen ne?" the boy called Naruto scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion, "Sensei, I cannot do the assignment."

"Why?" Iruka looked at him impatiently.

"Some girl stole my notebook."

Iruka raised a brow.

"Stole your notebook?"

"Yeah. She bumped into me and made me drop all my stuff, and then when I had picked it all up I noticed that she had run off with my notebook."

"Do you remember what she looked like?" Iruka seriously asked him as he motioned for Naruto come down to the front.

"Yeah," Naruto squinted his eyes as if in deep thought, "She looked like this… "

A flurry of smoke appeared in the front of the classroom, consuming Naruto and Iruka with its thickness. Slowly, the smoke began to disappear, revealing a stunned teacher and a figure of a naked girl, just barely covered by the traces of smoke left.

"AHHHHH!" Iruka flew back with a huge stream of gushing blood spewing forth from his nose. He landed headfirst on the other side of the room, twitching as Naruto changed back into himself and the class burst out laughing.

Kisa couldn't help but giggle. It was _perverted_, but it was just too funny. If only Gaara were here…

"What a dork."

Kisa turned to look at her classmate. Shino sat there with an unreadable expression, but Kisa could tell that he, too, was laughing at the trick that the class clown had pulled. Kisa smiled as the whole class continued to laugh at the twitching lump on the ground who used to be their respected teacher.

"Hahahahahahaha!" Naruto stood at the front of their classroom, laughing his head off, "Iruka-sensei is a PERVERT!"

_

* * *

one year and seven months later_

Kisa stood amidst the large crowd; she was the youngest there, holding onto her new forehead protector. It's shiny metal plate reflected the bright sun. She smiled.

It was a sign that she was really a part of this country- a sign that she was a real ninja. She couldn't wait to go show Kyo.

She quietly slipped away from the loud celebrating of all of her older classmates that had graduated with her, and started down the street towards the third-largest building in Konoha.

On the way there, she stopped at the flower shop that she had bought a flower from each time she came along this way. A young blonde girl sat inside, keeping over watch of her family's shop. Kisa remembered this girl, she was the same age as her…

"Hello," Kisa greeted her as she gave her the money for the flower.

"Hello," the blonde looked over the edge of the counter at the object in Kisa's other hand.

"You graduated today?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yep!" Kisa smiled, holding the forehead protector up to her forehead.

"Wow…" her clear blue eyes shone with admiration as she looked at her in a whole new light. She knew that the girl wasn't any older than herself. The blonde wrapped the flower up.

"Thank you!" Kisa called out as she left.

She reached her destination in a couple of minutes, and quickly walked up to the reception desk to sign in.

"Visiting Kyo-san again?" the receptionist smiled at the little girl.

"Yes!"

"Go right on ahead, the doctor should have finished his check up by now."

Kisa thanked the lady and rushed to go to her brother's room.

"Kyo-nii-san!" Kisa called out as she entered his room.

Kyo laid on a white bed, propped up by several pillows. He weakly smiled as his younger sister entered the room.

"Nii-san! I graduated!" the little girl rushed over to his bedside to give him a big hug.

"Really?" Kyo asked weakly, "Good job, Sa-chan. I'm really proud of you."

Kisa smiled, and handed him the flower and her forehead protector. Kyo held the metal band in his hands, letting the hospital light shine on it.

"It's beautiful," he softly chuckled.

"Yep," the young girl nodded her head in excitement, "We're having a meeting in 3 days- I'll meet my team then. Then I'll bring them here to meet you. Then later, when you get better, you can come watch us train!"

Kyo sadly smiled and nodded his head in silent agreement as Kisa stood to put the flower in the vase on the other side of his bed, still planning on a future for the both of them that he knew would not come.

_

* * *

three__ days later_

"Alright," A man with dark brown hair, with his forehead protector bound to his forehead spoke to three genins sitting before him, "We're going to introduce ourselves to each other since the third person to this team is here and I'm new to this team as well. We'll say our name, age, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and whatever comes to mind… now, we'll start with the little lady."

Kisa nervously smiled. She wasn't used to being around older kids… yet. Not only that… the two genin boys had a strange feeling to their presence.

"I'm Kisa Kawamura. I'm 8 years old. I like to go bug collecting with my friend, Shino. I like a learning and training and I dislike sandstorms."

The jounin standing before her gave a slight nodded approval as his eyes travel over to the boy sitting on her right.

"I'm Yusaka Satashi. I'm 17 years old. I like hanging out and training with Hitari here," he pointed over at the boy next to him, "I like and dislike the same stuff as him, so he'll tell you."

The boy called Hitari growled angrily at his friend then turned back to his task.

"I'm Hitari, like Satashi said. Goyuko Hitari. I'm 17, too. I train a lot with Satashi…"

A distant look came over his dark grey eyes as his dirty blonde hair covered them.

"I used to train a lot with our old sensei and Hitomi… I really liked Hitomi…"

Satashi glared at the boy next to him. But it wasn't an angry glare. Satashi's eyes were a grey-blue that held oceans and oceans of sorrow.

"Hitari… stop talking about them."

Hitari looked downcast as Satashi's raven-colored hair reflected the darkness within their souls.

"You see, Yuada Hitomi was the girl that was in our team. She was killed during one of our class B missions along with our sensei, Kisate-sensei."

Their jounin leader shifted, slightly uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going. Kisa, however, felt a wave of guilt. Those nins that had attacked them almost two years ago… how many people mourned over their loss?

"Mmm…" the jounin spoke up," I'm Kumi Murai. Just call me Murai. And I'm pretty sure you three will figure out the rest of me soon enough."

_

* * *

one year and two months later_

"…Tonight?" Hitari spoke in a hushed voice as his eyes watched the ten-year-old girl of their chuunin team scurrying about the grassy training field, picking flowers.

Satashi watched his friend's intense stare at the little girl. He almost felt bad for her. Almost.

"Sensei!"

A grumpy jounin glared at the figure that had suddenly joined him on a shaded branch of the large tree in the middle of the field. He had almost dozed off again.

"How many times to I have to tell you? Call me Murai!" he grumbled, "'Sensei' makes me sound old…"

He looked at the figure in front of him. She was holding out a bouquet of flowers towards him.

"Nyuh-uh!" Kisa stuck out her tongue as she thrust the flowers into his arms and smiled cheerfully. She stood there for a moment before something clicked in her mind.

"Oh yeah! I need to go get some for Kyo-nii-san!" she exclaimed as she rushed off into the field again. The raven-haired chuunin watched her with his friend this time.

Her movements were so graceful, especially for such a young child. She wore a red sleeveless shirt that zipped up in the front and short black shorts. Her forehead protector was tied about her waist, used as a belt since she was leaner than most girls her age. Her brown hair went down to the small of her back and was tied near the end with the same red piece of cloth.

He looked back at his best friend. He stared at her almost hungrily.

It was true that the two boys saw many of Hitomi's qualities in this girl. She was almost like her double, except younger. Hitomi had always enjoyed picking flowers and annoying their sensei, but she was sweet like that. It just turned out that turning their mission, Kisate-sensei died protecting Hitomi…

Satashi stopped his train of thoughts and looked at Kisa again. She stood still, facing northeast, holding a small bouquet of flowers as the setting sun's rays danced upon her brown hair.

'_She is quite lovely…_'

"Yeah…Tonight."

* * *

"Ano… Sat-chan…" 

Kisa turned to see a slightly blushing Satashi, rubbing the back of his head, approach her with Hitari silently following behind him.

"Yes? Satashi-san? Hitari-san?"

A look of something indistinct flashed through the dark eyes of Hitari when she said his name. However, Kisa didn't notice, and neither did Satashi. The raven-haired chuunin squatted down to the ten-year old chuunin's eye-level.

"Sat-chan, would you mind if we accompanied you home tonight?"

"Eh?" Kisa looked at him and Hitari quizzically.

Lately, Hitari had become more moody and dark while Satashi had become even nicer. It was strange, but Kisa enjoyed it all the same. She was actually treated more equally when they were training- the two eighteen-year-old boys didn't hold back on her as much, despite their age difference. Satashi and Hitari learned to respect her because of her talents, and all the more, her abilities. Of course, even though they lost, they never let her know that they were still holding back from their full strengths. But then again, neither did she.

"Or are you going to still visit your brother?"

"Oh…" Kisa looked a bit thoughtful, "I guess not… it's getting late and Nii-san is probably asleep around now… so… Okay!"

Kisa smiled cheerfully at her teammates.

"Oh, but shouldn't we tell Sensei that we're leaving now?"

Satashi looked over at the branch were their team leader was snoozing.

"No, it's alright. I don't think he'd want to wake up…"

Kisa nodded in agreement as she and the two boys turned to leave their training field.

* * *

'_Huh?_' Kisa groggily opened her eyes, '_Why is it so dark?_' 

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the surrounding darkness.

'_How did I get in my room?_' she reached for a spot on the back of her head where she felt immense pain. The last thing she remembered was reaching the door of her small home when there was a sharp pain on the back of her head and everything went dark.

"So you're awake…"

Kisa looked towards where the deep voice came from.

"H-Hitari-san?" she exclaimed. He was shirtless, and advancing on her. She looked down, blushing when she realized that her clothes were gone.

"Wh-what's going on?" she asked him fearfully.

"Nothing… you woke up just in time," he wore a lustful grin on his face.

This wasn't Hitari.

This couldn't be Hitari.

This wasn't the Hitari that she had spent her last year with training, going on missions, and struggling with.

"Why?" she choked out a sob as he came upon her.

"Because, you see, Hitomi betrayed me, so I couldn't have her… but now I have you."

He grabbed her face, forcing his lips upon hers. Tears began to stream forth as images of corpses lying in pools of blood replayed themselves in her head.

Hitari forced her back onto her bed as her once blood-stained hands began to glow blue again as they reached for her weapons that lay under her pillow.

* * *

Murai sat up suddenly at the sound of clashing thunder as rain began to pour down on him. 

'_Huh… there weren't any clouds at all today…_'

Suddenly he realized that he was all alone on the training field.

"Oh no…"

* * *

The sudden violent thundershower was a definitely a bad omen… but he hadn't expected this. 

He almost stumbled as he entered the Kawamura residence; furniture was overturned, there were several large holes in the walls, and blood was splattered everywhere. He hadn't expected anything like this.

"Mu…rai…"

Murai's green eyes traveled over to where he heard his name called. There lying on the ground, writhing in pain, was Satashi- or at least what left of him.

"Oh god…"

His raven-colored hair was matted down with blood. Satashi bent over his student to get a better look on his wounds. He suddenly realized what was missing- his ears. He visibly gulped as Satashi let out painful groan. Murai closed his eyes for a moment, trying to prepare himself to see the rest of the damage. As he examined the chuunin, he found that his limbs were missing and there were many new holes and gashes in his once scar-less and tan skin.

"K-Ki…sa…"

Murai already understood. He had always known what she was capable of… but this was… this was…

"Mutilation…"

Immediately, he stood up and reached into his jounin vest and pulled out two scrolls. This was definitely an emergency. He threw them open as a cloud of smoke appeared along with two medics.

"Hurry, get others here, and get him treated."

The medics at first were shocked as well, but quickly shook themselves out of their trance and went to attending Satashi.

"Hi…tar…"

Murai looked gravely at the boy.

"There is another chuunin here… but he may not be alive…"

The medics nodded in understanding as they rushed away.

Murai waited a few seconds to make sure there was no one else there, as he pulled out a pair of gloves.

'_I never thought I'd have to use these so soon…_'

He raced up the stairs- or at least what was left of the stairs- they, too, were falling apart.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he came to face the doorway of room that belonged to Kisa. Inside was completely dark, only lit up when lightening struck outside.

Murai almost threw up at the sight of his other student. If he had thought that Satashi was mutilated, Hitari was beyond any help at all. Kisa had basically slaughtered him… she had even blinded him.

Several medics had appeared behind him. He motioned towards his near-dead student on the floor of a bloodstained room as he carefully made his way through the litter of furniture and flesh towards a small figure huddled in the far corner of the room.

"Kisa?"

She was clutching a bloodstained blanket to herself as she turned her eyes towards her teacher.

Her eyes were green- '_the same color as mine…_' Murai realized.

Even in the dark, he could tell that those eyes were full lifeless hatred- eyes searching to destroy.

Whoever it was staring up at him out of Kisa's body, definitely wasn't Kisa.

In a quick motion, he knocked her onto her back as he pulled the gloves over her hands and used a jutsu to seal them there.

Soon after a fruitless struggle, she calmed down as her eyes returned to their natural, brown-black state.

"S-Sensei?"

A medic rushed into the room with a light.

"Sensei, wh-what happened in here?" Kisa asked looking around, confused and almost crying.

Now, Murai could take in account of what had happened, for Kisa was still naked.

"Take this girl to the hospital, too."

The medic with the light gaped at the girl who was splattered with blood, especially her hands, which seemed to have been soaking in blood.

She quickly rushed over to the girl, wrapped her up in a clean and un-bloodied blanket, and led her away.

_

* * *

seven__ hours later_

"You know there is no way you can stay here now."

Kisa looked up at the white-robed figure seated in his large seat at his desk.

"I know that much… but why not just condemn me to die? Is that not what I deserve?"

The Hokage looked down at his folded hands in his lap.

"That may be what you deserve, but on your case… there is a differentiating factor."

Kisa looked back down at her gloveless hands which still had a slight hint of blood stained upon them.

"Is it because I am from the Sand?"

The Hokage stood up and he walked over to a window- the dawn was just in a few hours.

"You must leave here before people hear about this," he continued, ignoring her question, "If you value your life at all… you will leave this place until it is safe for you to come back."

Kisa looked at him questioningly.

"Do you mean Kyo-nii-san?"

Silence.

"Your brother passed away a several hours ago."

Silence again.

Slowly, Kisa curled herself up into a ball where she was seated.

"Kisa…"

"I knew it would have been soon… but I didn't know that it would have happened while I was…"

The old man looked sad and he pitied the poor girl. She never deserved this… No one deserved this.

"Kisa-chan, there is a cabin in the northern woods of the Fire Country."

Kisa looked up at the Hokage again.

"There is a genjutsu surrounding it so nobody can find it, but it is only broken when you tell someone that it is there."

Kisa silently listened to the old man's words.

"Kisa?"

Silence.

"I'm just a little tired… I'll leave in a couple of hours…"

The Hokage's eyes softened as he nodded understandingly as he went back to his desk to await the hour when the villager would learn of the news.


	6. So How Would I Know?

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**So How Would I Know? **

Gaara fell silent at the ending of her story.

'_So… that's what happened_,' he concluded in his mind.

He realized that her pain was comparable to his, the pain that they had felt throughout the years while they had been apart… except for the fact that his pain had been suspended over the years while hers was shoved into less than a day, but the effects lasted forever.

Her swirled brown eyes were still lost in the memories- and pain was evident on her face. Something inside him didn't want her to be pained, he wanted to take away those pains from this person who meant so much to him. However, the other thing inside him screamed for her to suffer just as he did. After all, if he had to suffer without knowing how things would turn out, why couldn't she? And so he did nothing and he said nothing.

Instead, he turned and left through the cabin door. However, he didn't where were he was, much less what he was going to do while he was out there. Kisa stepped outside of her cabin.

"You might want to take a bath- three days is a _while_…" she said not looking at him. He turned to speak to her.

"Ki-"

"There are some robes and towels in the cabin, in the back. You can use them if you want."

With that, she jumped off into the trees leaving Gaara in his unspoken thoughts.

* * *

Kisa quietly landed on one of the upper branches of her favorite tree. 

She had always liked high places. Was it because she had spent many happy days with Gaara on the roof of the highest building back then?

Maybe.

Her tree wasn't too far from the cabin, probably around 50 yards away. She had found it on the first week of staying at the cabin as she wandered about in the circumference of the genjutsu's range.

Kisa propped herself against the smooth bark of the tree trunk and slid down.

From here, she could see pretty far over the tops of shorter trees. To her right, she could make out the mountain range where the Hidden Leaf Village laid at its base. To her left she faced northwest, towards the Hidden Village of the Sand. Where Gaara had always been…

Til now.

* * *

Gaara stood staring after the way Kisa had left. 

'_She wouldn't just leave me here alone… would she?_'

He decided to shrug off the thought rather than contemplate it. It would only hurt, after all.

'_I guess a bath would do…_'

He headed back inside.

* * *

The Sand nin relaxed a bit, letting his constantly tense shoulders drop a bit. 

The hot water was soothing… a feeling he really never got to experience much since he was always so busy killing everything in his way.

This whole place had a soothing feel to it…

'_If I stay here long enough… I wonder how much relaxation I could get from everything…_'

He looked towards the sky, which had a yellow-orange tint due to the setting sun.

'_Then again… how much longer will I be able to stay here?_'

He let out a quiet sigh- one of the few he had ever let out.

Kisa had said that he had been asleep for three days. Apparently, Temari and Kankuro hadn't come looking for him.

'_Wait,_' he thought, '_But Kisa said that this place had a genjutsu protecting it…_'

He smirked inwardly at the thought of Temari and Kankuro circling the forests of Konoha for days and weeks in search for him- it would finally get Kankuro off of his lazy fat butt.

Suddenly, a light of hope dawned upon him.

'_Maybe… just maybe… I could stay here forever… with her_.'


	7. I'm Scared

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**I'm Scared **

**Kisa's**** POV**

_ To be honest, I don't know how to act around him._

_ Is that why I came out here?_

_ Probably._

_ I guess I just don't to face him now… there's so much tension back there, but it's almost like he doesn't notice it at the slightest._

_Sigh._

_Really, there's no reason for me to be running away like this._

_ I really have missed him a lot. _

_All I want right now… all I want is… to be by his side…_

_ Like the past three days._

_ He looked so peaceful when he was asleep._

_I want to run my fingers through his hair again…_

_But__ when has he ever let me do that, especially when we were kids?_

_Never._

_It's__ actually kind of embarrassing…_

_ How I spent many hours during the past three days just sitting by the bed, staring at him._

_I wonder how he would react if he knew that…_

_ Still… _

_I'm__ glad we're together again._

**

* * *

Regular POV**

Kisa shifted slightly in her spot up in the tree.

Being so high up gave her some sort of inner peace.

'_Just like back then…_' she reminisced as she remembered the times that she and Gaara sat on the rooftop of Kazekage's office.

It was almost as if she had some sort of connection with trees. She just simply liked being around the tallest of trees.

She lightly chuckled to herself as she remembered a friend that she had made back in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Perhaps one of the couple of friends she had left there.

_Shino._

* * *

"You're being too loud again." 

Kisa looked back at the usually silent boy who spoke so stately.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quietly.

"You're _still_ too loud," he muttered as he walked past her.

Here they were, again, bug collecting- Shino's only (and possibly favorite) pastime. It was one of the few things in life that required complete silence.

Although bug collecting sounds easy and fun- it was definitely not easy doing it alone- which is why Shino required his best (though Shino would never admit it) friend, Kisa, to come along.

Secondly, silence was required because the 'better' insects came out only when they heard no danger approaching.

Her usual (and favorite) pastime when she was still living in the Hidden Sand was to laugh aloud with Gaara and seeing him smile. It had been such a great reward- better than having the many acquaintances she had obtained here in the Hidden Leaf.

Being quiet never suited Kisa… but Shino would never understand that.

Frankly, she thought she would ever be able to be quiet enough for Shino.

The bug boy gave a soft glare that Kisa couldn't see due to the sunglasses.

"Kisa…"

The little girl lifted her eyes that were full of self-disappointment.

"I'm not mad at you," he spoke gently, not turning look fully into her face, "and I'm not annoyed… if that's what you think."

His words trailed off into the silent void that stood between the two.

"… I know…" Kisa answered him softly, looking down.

His eyes softened. Something in the tone of her voice was pitiable, but her actions did not mimic her voice.

"Kisa," Shino spoke up again, breaking the peaceful silence enclosing them, "You're really strong- you know that?"

The brown haired kunoichi looked up blushing and surprised.

"Oh n-no," she stammered, "I-I'm not that s-strong, r-really."

Shino shook his head in disagreement.

"No, you really are amazing and strong," he politely explained, "You have such an incredible ability, but you're also able to keep a humble prospective of life. You're not… cocky… at all."

Kisa tilted her head to the side.

"Cocky?"

Shino smiled behind the large collar of his shirt.

"I mean, when I'm around you… I don't feel inferior at all- I don't feel less talented in any aspects… However…"

He took a step closer, his shaded eyes staring deep into her brown swirls.

"There is something else… something about you that is apparently scared…"

He paused for a moment.

"Scared… of being discovered… and of losing something…"

Kisa blinked and looked away.

"You are hiding something aren't you?"

The little girl seemed to be in deep thought for a moment, consumed by her own little world.

Then, she looked up and smiled.

"A loss is a loss, and what is hidden can always be found by somebody… but not all fears can be conquered."

"What you say is true. But you are not entirely correct. Fears will always remain unconquered unless someone takes up enough courage to destroy their own fears. And once they stand up to their fears, they will surely win."

The little girl looked terribly confused.

"Standing up is and has always been the hardest part- holding your ground is much easier than standing up."

Kisa stared at Shino in a certain sort of bemusement as he turned to go back to catching his bugs again. He really was too wise for his age.

"Thanks Shino…"

* * *

Kisa sat, leaning back on the bark of the tree, soaking in the last rays of sunlight. 

It would be completely dark soon, and she had to get back to her cabin- Gaara might get upset.

'_Oh yeah…_' she remembered, '_Gaara…_'

She had almost forgotten the reason she had come out here.

'_I guess I can head back in a few moments…_'

She wanted to stay out here on the tree that had given her strength on many occasions. She leaned even deeper back into the tree.

'_It's actually really selfish of me… to want to hold onto something that doesn't belong to me…_'

Though her fear of losing her cherished friend still loomed over her like an undying shadow, she felt a bit more courageous in some aspect.

Maybe… just maybe… she could stand up to her fears… and maybe they wouldn't come true.


	8. And I'm Alone

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**And**** I'm Alone **

**Gaara's POV**

_I feel… weird._

_ It sounds strange for me to even be feeling anything._

_ Most of my feelings should have been eaten away by Shukaku by now._

_ Then how am I able to feel this way?_

_ Why…?_

_ I feel so empty…_

_ But she…_

_ Kisa…_

_ Her presence fills my void…_

_ I feel so… lost._

_ There was once a feeling that I once had for her._

_ What was it?_

_ … Love._

_ But…_

_ What is love?_

**

* * *

Regular POV**

Gaara took a deep breath- breathing in the fresh fragrance of the surrounding quiet forest.

He had just finished scrubbing the last bloodstain off his pale skin- it felt _good_ to be clean.

Especially without the armor of sand sticking to his skin.

Sand and water didn't mix, that he knew for sure.

Slowly, the red-haired shinobi slouched back into the water, letting the soothing hot water seep into his skin.

If he could, he would go ahead and sleep in the hot spring- however, he knew that if he did, he would wake up to a flat, dead piece of earth.

But if Kisa were here with him…

He gave another silent sigh- setting a record of sighs for one day.

It still hadn't occurred to him how on earth Kisa had the power to keep Shukaku in check when he, the medium, couldn't.

"_Maybe-_'

The sound of rustling leaves brought him out of his thoughts.

Narrowing his eyes, he scanned the area and carefully listened for an intruder.

A quiet padding of footsteps that came from the other side of the spring that was hidden from his view by a large boulder brought Gaara climbing out of the hot spring.

'_I'm__ still wet…_'

He grabbed a towel to wrap himself in, and dried himself as fast as he could. Then he turned to grab his clothes… or at least where they should have been.

'_Where are they?_'

This was strange, he was sure that he had left his clothes by the towel…

He cocked his head- what kind of pervert would take his clothes?

Gaara shrugged the idea off as he went about on his search for his clothes.

'_Could it have been Kisa?_'

He rounded the side of a boulder.

"Hey there…"

Gaara was greeted with a friendly smile from Kisa.

He presumed that he was supposed to feel a bit embarrassed in front of a girl with only a towel covering the necessities, but he was Sabaku no Gaara, and being embarrassed was something he would never do.

"Ah…" Gaara looked away from the girl to prevent himself from seeing the small amount of laughter that was dancing in her eyes. He saw his clothes hanging on a rack supported by two tree branches.

'_So that was what the rustling was…_'

"Oh!" he heard the girl exclaim when she noticed him staring at his clothes that were now wet.

"I washed your clothes for you," she explained, "They were a bit… bloody. I hope you don't mind."

His only response was to turn his clear aquamarine eyes to her and blink, then look away again.

'_She's gotten pretty good at sneaking around- she managed to finish washing my clothes in the same hot spring that I was in before I even noticed. Or was I just not paying attention…?_'

He drifted off into his little world of consuming thoughts.

"Oh… you must be getting cold- I'll go get a robe for you so you can wear it while your clothes are drying," Kisa said, hurrying past Gaara to go back into the cabin.

* * *

He didn't see her going to get something for him to wear. 

He saw her leaving him.

Leaving… him…

Alone…

He reached for her.

* * *

"AHHHH!" 

Children screamed for their lives as the sand enveloped them.

Their fingers clawed savagely at the desert ground, desperately trying to find something to grab a hold of.

But the sand kept pulling.

They were getting closer.

To it.

They hadn't been running from a small child that was no bigger than they were.

They had been fleeing from a monster- a monster that mercilessly spilt blood.

Some began praying for their lives.

Some began saying goodbye to their family and friends.

Some just screamed.

In the midst of all this…

A small, timid, shaky voice came from the 'monster'.

"W-Wait… don't leave me alone…"

_I don't want to be alone anymore…_

* * *

"…Don't leave me alone!" 

Sand appeared at his feet, encircling him first, and then reaching out for her.

Shocked to hear Gaara call out like that, Kisa turned around, only to see a wave of sand coming at her.

'_A sandstorm?_'

Instinctively, she cried out as she fell to the ground holding her arms in front of her, as if to protect herself. A flash of blue erupted from the red orbs on the bracelets on her wrists.

Gaara froze, watching his sand come crashing down on Kisa as she became engulfed in a blue light.

"Kisa!" he called out stumbling towards where he had seen her last.

The sand disappeared back into the ground as soil as Gaara controlled it with his hands. Slowly, a ball of blue appeared as the sand sank back into the ground. The shinobi watched it curiously as it became unearthed from his sand.

"Kisa?"

The twelve-year old girl was sobbing, her hands to her face, with a clear blue ball of something surrounding her.

"Chakara…" Gaara realized as he felt the strong presence of such a large amount of chakara before him.

'_Strange…_' he wondered.

He hadn't felt a such a large amount of chakara emanating from Kisa earlier.

'_Where did this all come from?_'

He approached her as the blue ball of chakara surrounding her disappeared.

"Kisa…" Gaara slowly knelt before her, reaching out for her.

Her tearful eyes went up to his face.

"Kisa… I'm…"

She threw herself into his arms. Gaara watched with a loss of words as she kept crying.

"I was so afraid…' she said.

Gaara thought she had meant that she was afraid him, until he realized that she was clinging to him.

"…Why?" he questioned, confused now.

She sniffled as the tears began to slow.

"… they… they all disappeared…" she said, "… they… never came back."

He watched her with troubled eyes.

Was this why she had always been scared of sandstorms?

"Kisa…" he murmured her name. he moved his hand to left up her chin to look into her eyes.

'_I always liked looking into her eyes,_' he remembered how pretty they were.

Kisa's eyes travel up from the ground to his dark rimmed eyes, but not before seeing the glint of sunlight on blue.

"My necklace!" she exclaimed her eyes went back to a blue orb on a thin chain, hanging about Gaara's neck.

Gaara looked back down at the necklace he had always worn, but stopped noticing after all those years.

"… It's… yours…," he stated, not wanting it to sound like a question.

Her fingers touched the pendant, lightly brushing against his chest.

Suddenly, Gaara backed away from her, blushing from their previous close proximity, and when he had been wearing towel, no less.

Kisa looked a bit startled, but laughed it away as she brushed the tears away from her eyes.

"Come on," she stood up, grabbing his hand and helping him up as she began leading him back into the cabin, "Let's go get you something to wear."

Gaara pouted, but something inside of him began pulling at the corner of his lips, making him smile a bit.

From what he could understand, he loved this feeling he had inside of him right now.

But maybe… just maybe… he could learn to love her again.


	9. I'm Ashamed

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**I'm**** Ashamed **

Gaara stood leaning against the wall as he carefully watched the back of the brown-haired girl as she rummaged through the drawers in search for a robe.

Her movements were still so graceful- the way she had always been back then, he reminisced.

"Its here somewhere… I think…" she muttered, fully absorbed in her search.

The shinobi just blinked in response.

'_Still unorganized as ever,_' he inwardly smirked, remembering the old Kawamura residence littered with cereal boxes.

His eyes were resting on the black leather bracelets that held a red gem-like orb that she wore on each wrist.

'_She didn't have those before…_'

But now that he thought about it… the present Kisa had a _lot_ of things that she didn't have before…

His eyes slowly traveled over her body.

Her hair was still the same brown as six years ago, but now it was a lot longer… reaching the small of her back.

His eyes went to her face.

Her eyes were still as bright as ever- though they looked black due to it being nighttime.

She still had the scar that he had given her all those years ago when he first visited their house.

His eyes kept traveling down.

Her shirt was white… '_And too short for her long torso_,' he examined, almost frowning. (_AN: it's called a tank top, Gaa-chan_)

Her tanned, flat stomach showed.

His eyes kept going down.

Her belt… '_No… her forehead protector_,' he corrected himself when he saw the flash of metal, was red.

For some reason, seeing the Konoha emblem on her forehead protector bothered him.

It didn't suit her. No, not at all.

The Sand Village's emblem should be there instead.

His eyes went lower.

She was wearing a black mini skirt.

'_How does she fight in _that' he pondered, as his eyes kept traveling down.

She had long legs.

Gaara frowned when he saw a thin scar across her left calf.

'_She's gotten hurt before…_'

For some other reason… the idea of him not being the only one to have given her a scar didn't appeal to him.

Her legs shifted, making him realize that she could feel his intense stare.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't examine me so closely," she spoke, not turning around.

Gaara's eyes snapped right back up to the back of her head.

'_Had she noticed me watching her this whole time?_' Gaara's eyes narrowed.

"With the way you stare at people, it's quite obvious that you were staring at me," she said as if in response to his question.

"You've changed a lot," he retorted, "You never wore anything that showed so much skin back then."

Laughing, Kisa turned around.

"_I'_ve changed a lot?" she smiled at him, "You've changed too, you know, Sabaku no Gaara. And besides, it was the desert and I was young. I had nothing to show and I didn't want to get burnt."

She turned back to the drawer to rummage some more.

Gaara was confused.

'_Nothing to show?_'

"Oh! Here it is…" she turned back to her companion, pulling out a light forest green robe.

"It'll bring out your eyes!" she happily exclaimed.

Gaara, not to sure how to respond to such a happy comment, just stared at her, troubled by what she had called him earlier.

"…Sa…chan." He said, unused to the way it felt on his tongue anymore.

Kisa looked like she was about to drop the robe.

"Wh… what?" she whispered, not wanting to believe what she had heard.

'Sa-chan," he repeated louder as if annoyed that she hadn't heard him correctly the first time.

Slowly a genuine smile crept upon her face.

"You remembered what you used to call me," she spoke, walking to him, holding out the robe.

"You told me to call you by that name," he quietly whispered as he took it from her.

* * *

Their hands lightly brushed each other's. 

Her eyes met his.

And for a cosmic moment, the two were lost in their own world and love sprung forth as they both felt a certain longing blossom from within them.

A longing to be loved.

A longing to be held.

A longing to be kissed.

A longing to be cherished forever.

And a longing… wait- what?

HAHA.

Just kidding, guys.

Love don't come that easily.

And all you fan girls out there reading this… close your mouth. You're getting drool on your keyboard.

Yeah, yeah. It's not everyday you get to see Gaara in a towel. XD

Oh yes, and thank you oh-so much lily-sama. I'll have to repay you with some swiffers, ne?

Carrying on…

* * *

Gaara took the robe from her hands, his hands ever-so lightly brushing hers. 

Dark brown eyes met pale green ones.

"Put this on, Gaa-chan…" she whispered almost seductively in his ear as she turned and walked to her bed and plopped down on it.

Gaara blinked and headed for the bathroom.

He couldn't find the words to describe that girl. (_AN: It's called seductive, slutty, and strange, Gaa-chan!)_

* * *

Gaara stepped out of the bathroom. 

He realized how quiet everything was.

Walking towards a cushion to find a nice spot on the ground to sit, he stopped by Kisa's bed.

'_She's asleep…_' he noted.

Ignoring the voice in his head that told him to let her be, he took a step closer.

Her steady breathing quickened.

"Nn…"

Gaara blinked down at the girl.

'_She talks in her sleep?_'

He turned away to go sit and… well… sit.

"Gaara…"

Gaara stopped and turned back, expectantly.

But Kisa was still asleep.

This was going to be annoying, he contemplated to himself.

He turned to go sit again when he heard her mumble in her sleep again.

"Don't… leave… me…"

He held his breath.

"… alone…"

That was it.

He walked back to her bedside and nudged her awake.

"Why?" he demanded.

She awoke, startled.

"…Gaara?"

"Why can't I leave you alone?" he demanded to know.

"Wha-what? That was a dream?" she looked confused, pulling herself into a sitting position.

"You said that I can't leave you alone when you were asleep. I want to know why. Tell me." His aquamarine eyes glared at her with a hint of something in his voice…

'_Pleading?_'

"My… dream…?" Kisa looked bewildered, "I-I… "

"What did you dream about me?" he commanded.

Kisa looked down at her lap… she couldn't hide it from him…

"I was… ashamed… of what I am…" her fingers twisted within the grasp of each other, "I… I needed you. But you disappeared…"

Kisa bowed her head.

"I'm sorry…"

But her words did not reach his ears.

_I needed you._

Why did those words sound so beautiful to him?

_I needed you._

_ Needed you._

'_Kisa… needs me…?_'

Gaara looked away.

Kisa looked back up at her childhood friend.

His robe was tied loosely about his waist.

The green really did bring out his pale eyes.

She could still see her pendant resting on his pale chest.

"Gaa-chan?"

The boy had recollected himself into his silent demeanor and looked back down at the girl.

"You won't… You won't leave me. Will you?"

His eyes turned cold.

"You left me."

He turned to go.

Suddenly, he felt arms encircle his waist, as a body was pressed to his back.

"…onegai…" he heard her whisper.

"…don't leave me… don't leave me to deal with my nightmares alone…" she pleaded.

* * *

"They're terrifying, you know," Kisa explained. 

The two were sitting on Kisa's bed, side by side.

'_Just like the old days,_' Kisa smiled to herself.

"… Your dreams?" Gaara questioned.

"I wouldn't called them dreams," she gave a small smile, "But yeah, they are."

Her arm was slightly touching the sleeve of his robe.

A sound of pittering and pattering came from outside.

"Oh…" Kisa closed her eyes to listen, "It's raining."

Gaara watched her, then mimicked her.

"What about your dreams?" she casually asked.

The red-haired boy looked at the girl.

"My dreams…"

Gaara knew that she didn't mean all those nights he had spent awake.

"… my… I… I dreamt of… you," He admitted.

A small blush tinted the girl's face, but it was dark in the cabin now, so Gaara couldn't see.

'_Thank goodness._'

But with what he could see, there was a very nice spot on her shoulder that he wanted to try out.

Kisa had leaned her head back against the wall when she felt the brush of soft hair as Gaara's head rested on her shoulder.

'_He smells good…_' she mused to herself as she inhale his scent.

Slowly, she let her cheek come to rest on his head.

"I don't want to dream…" she heard him murmur.

"…Why?"

"Because I don't know what they will be about…"

"That's true…"

"What about you… Sa-chan?"

"I don't like to dream."

"How come?"

"Because… I've been running my whole life… but I can't run away from my dreams."

Gaara closed his eyes, breathing in deeply- she smelled like… '_That flower…_' Gaara couldn't remember what it was called, but it was soothing.

"Running?" he sleepily murmured.

"Yeah…"

Something clicked in Gaara's quickly falling out consciousness mind.

"My clothes…"

He felt Kisa's cheek lift up from his head, but was soon replaced by her hand instead.

"Don't worry," she whispered, "The rain will stop soon- your clothes will be dry by morning."

He sleepily nodded from his spot on her shoulder.

Suddenly, she felt Gaara's full weight drop onto her as she realized he must have fallen asleep.

She smiled down at the sleeping boy, wondering whether she should do what she kept herself from doing earlier…

'_He wouldn't know…_'

Softly, she placed a kiss on the top of his head then laid her head atop his again.

"Tonight," she murmured as she felt herself falling asleep as well, "tonight, we'll share the same dream."

* * *

Ah. Yes. I can just feel the murderous glares of all of Gaara's fangirls out there… I feel… threatened. T-T Please don't come after me with butterknives? It's not nice! 

Anyways… yes, Gaara does seem WAY outta character doesn't he? Actually, it seems more reasonable that he is this talkative and touchable. Just think about it. Gaara's had to be carried a lot during the manga and anime. I just think that he'd be more likely to react to touch because he lacked a lot of physical affection. Not only that, if you have not noticed, Gaara isn't actually as silent and grumpy as many people portray him to be. He actually talks a lot. Either aloud or in his head, it's all the same in the manga and anime. He really does do his share of talking in the anime.

* * *

Kisa awoke to the first light of dawn. 

Groggily, she rubbed away sleep from her eyes.

Next to her was her best friend, still fast asleep.

He was the reason she always woke up this early.

She settled herself down under her blanket as she watched his steady breathing.

Over the past few days, Gaara had been sleeping more and more, causing his dark rings around his eyes to begin to fade a little.

'_Just a little…_'

She smiled as she reached out with a hand to play with a couple of wayward strands of his red hair.

She almost let out a giggle as his nose twitched at the tickled feeling of his hair brushing against his face.

He was just too adorable when he was asleep- the very reason why she was wide-awake at this ungodly hour.

She watched his expressionless, sleeping face.

His skin was so smooth and pale.

His hair was so soft and tousled.

And those rings about his eyes.

She smiled as they reminded her of a sleeping raccoon.

'_And a Pooky-san!_'

Pooky-san was Kisa's favorite stuffed animal that Ibiki had bought her as a welcoming present to Konoha. Ironically enough, Pooky-san was a panda, which instinctively reminded Kisa of Gaara.

She laid there, playing with his hair and watching him sleep- just as she had been for the past few days, and just as she would for the next few hours.

Nevertheless, she always out of bed at the first sign of his rousing.

After all, what would Gaara think if he knew she was the one to cause many irritating twitches in his sleep?

* * *

Gaara was breathing heavily. 

It was only several days ago that Kisa had brought him out to this field- her training field.

Gaara took it to his advantage that he could train some here.

The field was located out of the cabin genjutsu's range, so it actually took some time to get back to the cabin.

Kisa would train with him for a while before heading back to the cabin to make lunch.

He let a smile grace his lips as he remembered her fighting style- chakrams with blades.

How she ever figured that she could beat him with those was completely incomprehensible by him.

Even with her ability…

Gaara was lost into his train of thoughts that he didn't notice the silent presence come up behind him.

"GUESS WHO!" Kisa yelled, covering the dark ringed eyes of her friend.

* * *

"Guess who!" A six-year old Gaara cried out as he came up from behind and covered his best friend's eyes. 

Kisa, who was still five, stood there, not moving.

"Sa-chan?" Gaara became worried as he leaned his head forward to see if she was okay.

Suddenly, a tickling sensation came to his hands.

Laughing, Gaara took away his hands.

"That's not fair! That tickles!" he laughed.

Kisa turned around smiling.

"You're the one who tried to play 'guess who?' on me!" she reminded him.

She leaned in on him.

"Those were called butterfly kisses."

Gaara blinked and looked up into the brown swirls of his friend's eyes.

"Eh? What's a kiss?"

Kisa smiled and pecked him on the cheek.

"That's a kiss!"

Gaara stood, blushing and unsure of what to do.

"But… butterflies can't kiss…"

It was Kisa's turn to laugh.

"Iunno… Kyo-nii-san told me about it. Maybe you can go ask him about it sometime…"

Gaara nodded in agreement to his friend's suggestion.

"But…"

Gaara's attention was caught by his friend again.

"Kisses… kisses are usually from here," Kisa touched her lips, "To here," she moved her finger to Gaara's lips.

* * *

Gaara panicked as the darkness consumed him. 

'_Kisa… trying to take advantage of me when I let my guard down…_'

He would never lose to her… no matter how off guarded he was.

Whirling around, he knocked Kisa onto the ground, but fell as well…

On her.

Gaara blinked, blush tinting his pale cheeks at their closeness, fully aware that his body was pressed upon hers.

It was apparent that Kisa was fully aware of this too for she was blushing as well.

However, neither moved.

Swirling brown eyes were locked upon pale green ones.

Breathing was hard- more for Kisa than Gaara.

She looked away.

"A kiss…"

Her eyes went back to his, questioning him.

"You gave me that kiss before…"

Her eyes took him away into a trance.

"Then… You said that people usually kiss each other on the mouth."

His voice was deep… and… almost seductive… to Kisa at least.

There was too much tension.

Too much want.

Just too much…

Gaara closed his eyes as he brought his lips down to meet hers.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the touch of his lips.

Waiting…

Wanting…

But never having.

"GAARA!"


	10. And I Need For You to Know

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**And I Need For You to Know**

Gaara quickly fumbled off Kisa, who slowly sat up, just as surprised as the boy next to her in the grassy field.

Their faces were still red, their breathing was still heavy, and they were both very much annoyed at whoever had just shown up- both were just as ready as the other to massacre whoever had intruded…

Except them.

* * *

"…" 

"…"

The two intruders were both just as speechless as the other.

They had been traveling for days… both as ready as the other to just give up and go home. They both had been ready to be confined in a sand coffin and be crushed to death. They had been ready to be ambushed by missing nins. They both had been ready for just about anything… Except this.

"…Oh Kami-sama…"

"…What the hell…" (_AN: Please excuse my horrid and vulgar language!)_

They watched appalled and stunned as the red-haired figure stood up as the girl next to him rose slowly.

* * *

Almost instantaneously, Gaara's usual foul mood overtook him again, as he temporarily forgot about the past few weeks he had spent here in bliss with Kisa. He glared angrily at the two figures that stood at the edge of the grassy field, ready to confine them in sand coffins and spray the green field with red blood. 

Kisa silently stood next to Gaara; she felt the murderous glares he gave to the two figures standing about 30 years away. She knew they were just as shocked as she and Gaara were. Her brown eyes traveled over the figures.

One of them she didn't recognize… but one of them she did… or at least she recognized her hair. She had always had her hair tied up like that…

She spoke at the same time as Gaara… she words escaping as a disbelieving statement while his was a murderous breath.

"Temari…?"

"Kankuro…"

* * *

Baki jumped down from the last few trees of the forest and landed on the edge of a grassy field. Temari and Kankuro were standing before him, unmoving. 

"Temari? Kankuro?" He walked up to join them, confused by their still behavior.

'_Weren't they just fighting a moment ago?_'

He lifted his eyes to see what they were staring at.

'_Oh…_'

"…Gaara…"

But who was that girl next to him?

Baki examined her closely…

'_That scar…_'

He would have recognized that scar anywhere… all thanks to Gaara.

'_It couldn't be…_'

"Kisa?"

* * *

Kisa gasped. 

'_No…_'

She backed up a step.

'_It couldn't be…_'

Her already quickened heartbeat began to beat faster.

She had to escape…

* * *

Baki's eyes narrowed as he watched the girl's actions when she recognized him. 

'_She's going to try to run away…_'

He got ready for the chase.

* * *

Gaara glared angrily at his brother and sister and their team leader. 

'_What the hell are they doing here now?_'

He noticed Kisa's gasp.

His attention was diverted as he turned to look at her.

Terror was visibly seen in her face.

'_What's going on?_'

He took a step towards her, calling her name.

"…Kisa?"

* * *

It all happened within an instant. 

Kisa suddenly took off, in the other direction.

Gaara stood, stunned. He was now looking at the empty spot where Kisa had been standing less than a second before.

Baki went after the fleeing girl.

Temari and Kankuro were left gaping after their sensei who had suddenly taken off.

Kisa was fast- she had to get back to the cabin… her only haven.

But Baki was faster- he had already caught up to her, knocking her out.

They had reached the forest's edge.

Baki picked up Kisa's unconscious body and slung her over his shoulder.

"Temari! Kankuro!" he called back to the siblings, "Gaara… you come too."

* * *

Gaara was more or less shocked. 

Everything had happened so fast.

What was going on?

His feet moved automatically towards where Baki stood with Kisa slung over his shoulder. He heard Temari and Kankuro come up behind him, falling into step with him.

Gaara had mostly recovered from his shock when he reached his sensei, but now his seething replaced the confusion.

"Put her down," he commanded. Baki narrowed his eyes at Gaara.

"Gaara-"

"I said… Put her down."

Baki, not wanting to get on the bad side of Gaara, slowly let the girl down. Even a jounin like himself would have some difficulty with Gaara at this point.

As Kisa's unconscious body touched the ground, a bed of sand formed under her, lifting her up as it began to levitate.

Temari and Kankuro were still speechless as they stood by their sensei, still clueless as to what was going on. They had only come with orders to retrieve Gaara- they had said nothing about some girl…

'_A slutty girl at that…_' Kankuro eyed Kisa's unconscious form.

Gaara made a motion for them to follow him as he stepped into the forest.

Temari silently watched her youngest brother walking in the front of their awkward procession.

What had he been doing with a girl like that before they had come?

'_And just who _is_ that girl?_' Temari asked herself, very much annoyed, '_How did she know my name?_'

Temari was absolutely sure she had never met any girl like her before…

'_However…_' the dirty blonde-haired girl contemplated as she walked along, watching Gaara's back.

'_Gaara seems quite taken with her… the way he's treating her…_'

Suddenly, Gaara disappeared into nowhere- with the girl, no less.

Baki stopped, motioning the two behind them to stop as well.

The three stared blankly at the place Gaara had disappeared.

"G-Gaara?" Temari called out hesitantly.

Gaara turned his head enough to see that his group was standing just out of the genjutsu's range.

"There is a cabin here…" he spoke quietly.

A strange sensation hit the three ninjas as tears began to fall from their eyes.

They rubbed their eyes, trying to wipe away the sudden tears that had sprung forth. Before them now, stood a homely cabin with steam rising its left side.

"…Holy-" Temari said under her breath.

"Shit…" Kankuro absent-mindedly murmured. (_AN: gahh! My language is so bad:X _)

* * *

Gaara stood impatiently before the clearly tired and drained figures of his team as they slumped onto chairs and cushions on the ground. 

"What are you doing here?" he questioned them.

Kankuro looked nervously at his elder sister.

Temari, in turn, looked towards her sensei. He had been the one who had sent them out, after all.

"We came to retrieve you, Gaara," Baki simply answered him.

Gaara held back the urge to glare at him. After all this time… they still treated him like an object. But wasn't that what he had always been to them? The Sand's trump card? Gaara knew he was nothing more to them than the Sand's creation of a perfect weapon.

"I didn't need you to come back for me."

Baki shifted nervously.

"It was… necessary…"

The red-haired boy walked over to the wall next to the bed where Kisa laid unconscious and leaned against it.

"Moreover… this has been a very advantageous gain for the Sand," Baki continued when he was sure Gaara wasn't going to say anything, "It seems as if you've found your childhood friend again."

Gaara's glare came forth- Gaara already knew he was not going to like whatever Baki was about to say…

* * *

'_Childhood friend?_' 

Temari and Kankuro had realization dawn upon them- well, Temari at the least.

Kankuro looked over at Gaara.

'_He had a childhood friend?_'

Something was definitely not right.

Through what little interaction he actually had with his younger brother, he clearly remembered Gaara never having anyone that he actually called 'friend'.

'_Unless…_'

There had been that time, Kankuro reminisced, when Gaara began staying outdoors more and more. Yes, Kankuro remembered that time. He had actually been able to relax at the place he called home. Without Gaara at home, he didn't have to worry about losing his life… nor did he be disgusted by the little creep who had killed his mother when he was born.

'_But I'm over that bitterness now… aren't I?_'

The face-painting shinobi looked towards the figure on the bed.

'_The only resentment I still hold against having Gaara as my younger sibling is just that I never had a lot of friends either… My reputation had always been bad- simply because I was related to the Sand's horrifying monster_.'

However, if that girl could stand being around Gaara for weeks upon weeks… Then maybe- just maybe…

His eyes ran over the girl's body.

'_She's actually pretty…_' he felt himself getting absorbed by the scantily-dressed figure, '_and just my type of girl…_'

Just as his eyes began to send naughty mental pictures to his brain, Kankuro noticed Gaara giving him the death glare.

Kankuro looked away immediately, fearing to lose his life, or even worse, his balls. (_AN: I'm so dirrrty :X_)

* * *

Temari kept quiet. She had figured it best to do so by now. 

'_So… that's who she is…_' Temari looked from Gaara to the girl, '_her name is… Kisa?'_

For a moment, Temari realized that she actually had met the girl before.

'_No..._' the giant fan-using kunoichi, '_I only ever saw her once… but when?_'

Her light brown eyes traveled over to her other brother. She lifted a brow; Kankuro was obviously checking the unconscious girl out. She looked over to Gaara to see if he had noticed.

Of course he had, Gaara was glaring a million years of pain onto Kankuro… '_If only Kankuro would notice before he gets himself hurt_.'

However, something else was bothering her.

'_How is Gaara being so…_' Temari couldn't find the right words to describe him, '…_nice?_'

There are hundreds of words that perfectly describe Gaara, and 'nice' was _not_ one of them.

Not only that, Gaara was being protective of the girl.

'_How ironic…_' the sister mused to herself, '_that__ the girl Gaara ends up liking is skimpier than me?_'

* * *

"Do you know who she is, Gaara?" Baki questioned the glaring boy leaning against the wall. 

Gaara looked over at the jounin, slightly annoyed and slightly confused, but more annoyed than confused.

"What would you know about her?" he shot back at the man.

Baki smiled a little as he rose from his seat.

"You would shiver with fear if you knew everything that I did about her," he stated, walking over to a dresser.

Gaara stood straight.

"…What are you doing?"

Baki ignored the boy's question as he examined the numerous trinkets sitting atop the dresser. Finally, as if he had found what he was searching for, he picked up little clear blue glass ball. Gaara instantly recognized it- Kisa had had that same trinket when she was still living in the Hidden Sand.

Then, Baki did something that Gaara had never seen. Holding the ball within the palm of his right hand, he brought his hands together to form the seal of the ram. A flash of light erupted from the ball as the Sand siblings had to shield their eyes.

When the light had faded, Baki stood before them holding a pair of…

'_Long_ g_loves?_' Kankuro stared at Baki, extremely confused.

Temari stood up.

"Baki!" she held out a hand, motioning for him to stop. But Baki was already heading towards Kisa.

Gaara stood between Kisa and his team leader.

"What…" he spoke in a dangerous tone, "are you going to do?"

Baki simply looked at him.

"If you don't want her to get hurt, I suggest that you move."

Gaara hesitated, and then moved out of the way.

'_Hadn't she said something about gloves before…?_'

It was all too late. Baki had already pulled the gloves on Kisa's hands and arms and was currently sealing them in place.

"Well," the man spoke more confidently, "Now that that's done-"

Gaara was pissed and very bewildered by how everything was happening all too fast for him.

"Why are you after Kisa? What has she ever done to you?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Gaara lowered his eyes to the ground.

"She's… she's important to me… and I care about her, the way does for me."

Kankuro dropped his jaw.

'_No.. way…_'

Temari stood aghast as she slowly dropped herself back into her seat.

Baki smirked.

"Very well…"

_

* * *

seven__ years ago_

A little girl with bright green eyes sat huddled in the corner of her well-furnished room- a lavished room at that.

Her unkept brown hair was cascaded over her shoulders.

Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks and landed on the silk blankets of her exceptionally large bed.

A ruffled-looking teddy bear sat by her side- her most trusted friend.

"Yoshiko-dono…"

A quiet, weak, yet strong voice of an elderly man flowed from outside of her oak doors with its ebony handles.

The little girl glared at the door with hate.

A small click came from the door as it creaked slightly open.

Another voice came from the other side of the door- a boy's voice.

"Reiko-jii-san, has Yoshiko-chan come out yet?"

The old man's voice was muffled.

She hated this.

A quiet padding of feet came from the doorway.

She looked up to see her best friend standing at the doorway.

It didn't make a difference that he was several years older- they were the only children in the whole estate.

"Yoroi-nii-san…"

* * *

Kyo wandered the streets aimlessly. 

It was a wonder how he was still on his feet after hours of walking about in the desert's midday sun.

But…

He had to.

He had to do it… for her.

"Please hold on, Kisa…" he pleaded into the hot summer's air.

He stumbled a few steps forward.

"K-Kyo-san?"

Kyo turned his eyes towards a figure in a doorway. He squinted his eyes that were exhausted of tears.

"Kimishu-chan?"

"Kyo-san!" a figure of a pretty, young woman came running out from the doorway's shadows, "Wh-What's wrong?"

Her bright blue eyes scanned the young man that had collapsed into her arms.

"She… my sister… Kisa…" Kyo brought his hands to cover his face, "She's sick. The doctors… they can't… she's…"

A dry, choking sob came from the young man as Kimishu could only hold onto him.

"She's… dying…"


	11. I Didn't Say All The Things

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**I Didn't Say All The Things**

"Kazekage-sama…"

The man dressed in white robes looked up from his work.

"Somebody wants to see you…"

The assistant led in a young woman who was holding onto the hands of a young man.

He raised a brow.

'_Is she going to ask for my blessing for their marriage?_'

"Kazekage-sama," the pretty lady politely addressed the man in the white robes.

"Kimishu-chan…" the Kazekage stood up from his desk, "You know you don't have to be so formal."

Kimishu smiled pleasantly.

"I know, cousin," she turned and brought the young man to her side.

The Kazekage nodded in his direction.

"This is Kawamura Kyo," Kisa introduced for the exhausted, dark-haired man, "… he needs your assistance."

* * *

"… Is that so?" 

Kyo nodded in deep sorrow at the end of his story.

"Please… please, Kazekage-sama," he begged, "Save her…"

The Kazekage was deeply troubled.

Truly, this boy's tale was sad- their whole family had died or gone missing in a terrible sandstorm a couple of years ago, leaving him and his younger sister as the sole survivors. However, now only more grief was about to be added to their misery. Kisa, the younger of the two siblings, was dying.

He walked over to the edge of his desk where two pictures rested- one of his deceased wife, the other of two of his children. His face was grave.

'_Gaara…_' he thought as he looked at the picture that was missing his youngest son, '_That dying little girl is the same age as him._'

"…Kazekage?" Kimishu questioned him nervously in his silence.

He turned his eyes to the young adults sitting before his desk.

"… I… I'm sorry, Kyo-san," he spoke sincerely.

Kyo bowed his head.

"For now…" the Kazekage continued, "There is no way to save her…"

Kimishu looked at her cousin, shocked.

"B-But… your son…"

The Kazekage gave her a harsh look, but it softened as he turned back to Kyo.

"There is no one that she can be kept in. I'm truly sorry, Kyo-san."

* * *

The Kazekage sighed as he collapsed into his chair. 

He lifted his dark eyes to the picture of his wife again.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her, "There just isn't any way…"

A knock came the double doors of his office. The Kazekage sat up, trying to gather himself into his usual strict demeanor.

"Kazekage-sama…"

The man looked up at the door again.

"An elder of the Akadou clan as come to see you."

'_The Akadou clan?_' he was surprised, '_What do they need from me now?_'

The assistant exited as fragile-looking old man hobbled into the room.

"Ah… Kazekage-sama," a feeble voice came from the man.

The Kazekage stood in respect to the prestigious leader of the Akadou clan.

"Reiko-san," he made the motion for the elder to sit, before he did, "What brings you to my office? I thought the Akadou clan was sufficient on their own."

The elderly man looked slightly worried.

"That's not the case…" he began slowly, "There… is a problem."

The kage raised a brow.

"A _problem_?"

The elder said nothing, making the leader of the Sand even more conspicuous.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the _princess_, now would it?

Reiko gave a ragged sigh.

"She won't cooperate."

The Kazekage narrowed his eyes.

"Why," he questioned him, annoyed.

"She refuses to kill," the elder explained hastily, "She refuses to fight. She even refuses to eat or drink now."

"And?" the Kazekage was now standing, "What have _you_ done to fix this?"

"We've tried everything, Kazekage-sama. Not even Yoroi can get her to do anything."

The kage calmed down a bit.

"Yoroi?"

The elder nodded his head.

"Akadou Yoroi, a young boy- the only other child we have left."

The Kazekage seemed to brighten a bit.

"And? Is he of any use?"

Reiko shook his head, sorrowfully, "No… His powers are insufficient. He is weak… compared to Yoshiko-dono."

The man's foul mood overtook him again as he slumped into his chair.

"It seems…" the elder cautiously continued, "It seems that she does not have the will-power to do anything anymore… if she continues to go on like this…"

The Kazekage listened carefully to each word.

"… She'll die."

Something clicked in the back of his mind.

"You…" he started, "You said she lacked… will-power?"

"Y-yes," the elder stammered in response, "One might say that her mind is… unable to comprehend her task."

The Kazekage and began pacing about his room, his brain formulating a plan.

"Her mind… her mind," he muttered to himself, "Her mind is in essence, her soul…"

He turned back to the Akadou elder.

"We must keep her body alive… but we don't actually need her."

Reiko blinked.

"What do you propose?"

The Kazekage looked thoughtful as he turned away again.

"I'll seal another soul within her body… a willing soul- a soul that wishes to live…"

The elder looked surprised.

"How…?" he asked, worried, "And who would be willing to take her place?"

The Kazekage spun back to the elder with a wild grin on his face.

"I know just the girl."

* * *

The Kazekage stepped into a small house in the section of the Village where the civilians lived. 

"K-Kazekage-sama?" a confused voice floated through the interiors of the small home as Kyo popped his head out of a room.

Drifts of sand fell from the pure-white robe as the Kazekage made his way into the house.

Kyo followed the leader of the Sand as he hurried through the small corridor to a room with the door left ajar.

"Ah?" Kyo watched bewildered by the kage's actions, "Wh-what's going on?"

Suddenly the sound of a slamming door resounded from the entrance to their home.

"Eh?" Kyo hesitantly went to check on who it was.

The Kazekage moved towards a small sleeping mat in the corner of the room.

'_This is her?_'

The little girl had long black hair. She looked awfully thin, too thin for any girl of her age.

The kage knelt down beside her bed.

"Kisa…" he whispered, trying to rouse the little girl as he put a hand to her forehead.

'_She has a high fever…_' he frowned.

"Ah! Kazekage-sama!"

The man turned to see Kimishu panting in the doorway of the room- she had been running. Kyo stood by her side.

"I-I knew you'd come!" she spoke, relieved. Kyo, however, still looked as confused as ever.

"What's going on, Kimishu-chan?" he wearily asked her.

"I'm going to extract her soul," the Kazekage spoke monotonously.

Kyo stared at him.

"Wh-what?"

A pair of dark brown eyes opened to a dim room. A hand rested upon her forehead.

'_Why… Why is it so hot?_'

"K-Kisa!"

Kyo hurried to his little sister's bedside.

"Are you okay, Sa-chan?" the young man tenderly asked her as he took her hand into his.

The Kazekage stood back and watched apathetically as the little girl tried to smile and nod, but failed miserably as she fell into coughing. Her small body shook as she coughed. His eyes widened when he saw shining drops of blood come forth from her mouth.

"…Kyo?"

The young man turned back to the Kazekage, his head bowed.

"… The doctors don't know what's wrong with her…"

The leader of the Sand motioned for Kyo to join him outside the room. Reluctantly, Kyo followed when Kimishu reassured him that she would watch over his beloved little sister.

Kyo turned to the Kazekage with sad eyes, but something told him that the Kazekage was not affected at all by what he had seen in the room.

"There is a way to save her… if you're willing to take it."


	12. That I Wanted To Say

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**That I Wanted To Say**

"What's going on?"

Yoshiko sat on her bed, confused as the elders and the Kazekage poured into her room.

"Yoshiko-dono…"

She looked up at Reiko as he came forward from the group, with the Kazekage following behind him holding…

'_A necklace?_'

It was a necklace with a thin chain with a sapphire orb as its pendant.

'_It's glowing…_' she noted.

Suddenly, two elder came forth as they took a hold of her arms. Her teddy bear fell from her arms onto the tear-stained silk blankets.

"Kume-jii-san? Hana-jii-san?" she asked, confused and now terrified.

"What are you doing?" Tears formed in her brown eyes, "Why are you doing this?"

Reiko stood to the side of her bed as the Kazekage stood before her, holding out the necklace.

"This is goodbye, Yoshiko-dono."

"Rei-?"

A sharp pain erupted from within her as the Kazekage shoved the necklace onto her chest.

Her world went dark.

* * *

Gaara couldn't listen anymore. 

It couldn't be true… how could the tale of these two little girls really be Kisa?

It couldn't be true.

Not only… his father was the one…

'_Just like how he created me… he creates another person through the same way._'

His thoughts were clouded with bitterness.

Baki stood.

"It's about time we started heading back to the Sand…"

Gaara looked at him.

"We're not going," he simply stated.

"I figured that you'd say something like that- but it's not the point now," Baki said, looking towards the figure lying on the bed, "Something went wrong with the process of sealing Kisa's soul into Yokshiko's body. Your father is dead. And now the seal is weakening. She needs to go back."

"I said, we're not going," Gaara stated, ignoring the fact that his father was now gone.

Baki smirked at him; he knew that he'd be indifferent about his father's death.

"And what makes you think that you'd be able to save her once everything goes wrong?"

Gaara could only glare at him.

* * *

A young Gaara sat in a chair playing with his teddy bear. 

It was really boring here in the building of the Kazekage's office. But Yashamaru had brought him here since he had business here today.

Gaara looked down at his teddy bear- he was his only companion.

Suddenly, a loud shuffling of feet came from outside the room Gaara was in.

He turned to look, just in time to catch a glimpse of his father walk by, followed by a bunch of old people.

'_Carrying a girl on a stretcher?_'

She looked no older than himself.

Gaara jumped off the chair- Yashamaru wouldn't miss him, he had a lot of stuff on his hands.

Scurrying, he followed the procession down the hallway. (_AN: teehee. Gaara scurries!_)

When he reached the place they had taken the girl, he saw the elders and his father conversing in low tones in front of the door. The elders and his father then departed, both going their own ways.

The coast was clear, and Gaara's curiosity was overwhelming as he approached the door.

'_Was the girl dead?_ _Was she hurt? What was she doing here?_'

Gaara knew that the Kazekage's office was no place for children. Not even Kankuro-nii-san or even Temari-nee-san were allowed to come here.

Suddenly, a cry came from inside the door.

Gaara jumped back.

'_Well... the girl is alive…_'

He listened cautiously and softly tapped on the door.

Silence came from the wood.

Now, he was as annoyed as he was confused and reached for the door handle.

"You shouldn't be here."

Gaara jumped and almost screamed.

Yashamaru stood behind him holding out his teddy bear.

"You left this in the room, and I had to come find you."

"G-Gomen, Yashamaru…"

The young man only smiled and took the boy's hand as he led him away from the door.


	13. And You Can’t Take Back

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**And You Can't Take Back **

Kisa shifted in her sleep. Faces… so many faces appeared in her dreams. Some faces she recognized, but some faces she'd swear she had never seen before. But how did she know them?

That, she could not answer.

* * *

A low murmuring brought Kisa's vision back into focus. 

'_Where… where am I?_'

She blinked several times, her eyes adjusting to the bright colors around her.

_The main garden_.

'_The main garden…?_'

Kisa's eyes darted left and right. She really was in a garden. But how did she know that she was in the _main_ garden?

Before her was carefully patterned stone path, with a low-arc bridge several meters ahead that crossed a small stream.

'_It's__… so pretty._'

_This is my favorite place to be… it calms me down._

Kisa made her way down the path, towards the bridge. The path on the other side of the stream curved behind several bushes- she wanted to see where it led.

_To the flower garden._

Kisa didn't question the voice that spoke in her mind- she was distracted by how hard it was to move.

'_Why am I wearing a kimono?_'

Kisa looked down at the several layers of expensive material that kept her from moving easily as she did in her usual, exposing outfit. She reached down to move the hindering cloth.

'_Wha__-?_'

Kisa gaped at the size of her hands as she brought them up for a closer examination.

'_Why are my hand so small?_'

_I am only five years old. I'll be turning six in one and a half months!_

Kisa realized the thing that bothering her about the voice in her head- it was a child's voice. Her voice.

"Yoshiko-dono…"

Kisa turned around to the voice. An old man stood several feet behind her, attired in a simple white robe with a hand on a jeweled cane.

"R-Reiko-jii-san?"

Kisa was confused- how did she know his name? Why did she automatically acknowledge him? Who was he?

"I-I'm sorry. Wh-"

_Reiko-jii-san!__ He is the head of the elders. He's very wise and kind. I like him the best out of the all the elders!_

The old man smiled as he made his way closer to the girl.

Kisa found herself looking up at him.

'_Am I a child again?_'

"Yoshiko-dono… I knew I'd find you out here again."

'_Why is he calling me 'Yoshiko-dono_'?'

"I think you have the wrong person."

Surprisingly, the old man only smiled down at the child, chuckling gently.

"What game are we playing today, child?"

Kisa wanted to gape at him- what was wrong with the old man?

_There's__ nothing wrong with Reiko-jii-san!_

"Reiko-jii-san?"

"Yes, Yoshiko-dono?"

"Where are my parents?"

The old man looked gravely at the child.

"Let us not ask these nonsensical questions."

He turned to leave.

"Reiko-jii-san!"

The old man looked back at the girl.

"If you want to play… go call Yoroi-chan to attend you."

'_Attend me?_'

_Yoroi-kun is my best friend. He'll play with me if I tell him to._

Kisa turned a bit to look at the retreating back of the elderly man.

"Yoshiko-sama."

Kisa almost jumped. Behind her, stood two shadowy figures- both were unrecognizable with no certain features.

_The clone servants…__ They aren't real… so they aren't any fun. Other than when I get to destroy as many of them as I want._

'_Clones…? Like… shadow clones?_'

_Low energy chakra clones. The elders make as many of them as they want or need. We don't have any real servants_.

An object emerged from the dark hand of one clone servant.

"The bell…"

Kisa picked up the bell from the hand.

"What do I do with this?"

"Ring it, Yoshiko-sama."

Kisa blinked.

'_Did I just say that aloud…? And did they answer it?_'

Kisa was willing to take her chances.

"What will it do?"

"Yoroi-sama will come."

Hesitantly, Kisa rang the bell, giving it a small shake.

Instantly, she heard the sound of a body falling to the ground behind her. She turned to see a young boy, who looked no more than ten years old, struggling to his feet. Kisa almost gasped at his face- for it was marred with several scars- each at least a couple inches long that ran across the bottom half of his face. Kisa heard herself call out to him.

"Yoroi-nii-san?"

The young boy looked up at her, his eyes trying to conceal a glare.

"Yoshiko-chan…"

Kisa looked at the boy with pity. He was obviously in pain, but from what- Kisa didn't know.

"Are you alright? You're hurt, aren't you?"

The boy called 'Yoroi' looked surprised.

"You rang the bell, didn't you?"

Kisa in turn, was surprised and confused by his words. Yoroi shrugged it off in annoyance and walked part her to the stream and began washing his face. Kisa stood behind him, listening to the sounds of splashing water.

_The bell summons him from wherever he may be… he is transported here through the sound waves of the bell. It's a painful process_- _or so he says_.

Kisa ignored the voice.

'I_t's too quiet…_'

"Ano… Yoroi-nii-san?" Kisa timidly approached him, "Where is everyone?"

Yoroi turned to look back at the girl, confused at her behavior.

"The elders are in the Elder's Chamber, as always," he said, examining her, "Why do you ask?"

Kisa blushed at how foolish her question sounded.

"Uh… no… reason… I was just wondering where the adults and children are…"

Wiping his face dry with his sleeve, Yoroi stepped closer to the girl, looking down at her. Kisa tried to look away, but Yoroi merely tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him. Kisa felt her face heat up from their close proximity. His bright green eyes were piercing into hers.

"There is no one else here, except us two and the elders… you know this," he spoke softly to the girl, "You know why they keep only two children alive in the Akadou clan…"

Realization dawned upon Kisa as she realized why Yoroi had no problem with being so close to her… despite their current ages.

"…Unless you've forgotten…"

His green eyes were filled with fear.

"They're going to murder me if something happens to you…"

Kisa laughed a fake laugh, trying to brush aside Yoroi.

"I haven't forgotten anything. I just want to play."

She made her way to the bridge.

_Tell him to play with me._

Kisa obeyed the voice in her head.

"Come play with me!"

Yoroi walked slowly towards the girl, forcefully making each step.

Kisa turned to look down at the stream. The water was so clear that the sunlight created a mirror in the water. She watched, interested, as she saw the reflection of Yoroi as she made his way to her.

Then, something caught her attention.

Her eyes.

Her eyes were green.

* * *

Kisa's eyes shot open. 

She was in bed.

'_It was just a dream…_' she realized.

But wait.

'_Where's…__ Where is Gaara?_'

Kisa sat up. She was in a large bed… a large bed with silk covers.

And this definitely wasn't her room.

And her head hurt- a whole heck-of-a-crap lot.

'_Where am I_?'

"Yoshiko-dono?"

Kisa turned to the voice.

Several old men, dressed in white robes, surrounded her bed. At the head of them was…

"Reiko-jii-san?"

'_The one from my dream?_'

The old man smiled as he turned back to the rest of the elders.

"The princess has returned!"


	14. What You’ve Taken Away

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**What You've Taken Away **

Her head was spinning.

How did she get back here?

Where was she?

Who were these old people, really?

Kisa could practically feel her whole world caving in on her- it felt so hard to breathe. Much like the time Gaara had been practically lying on top of her. But this was different.

'_Gaara…_'

She seriously needed a friendly face around right then. Without him, she felt lost- especially in such a strange place.

"I-I'm sorry…" Kisa apologized, "Where am I?"

The elderly man turned to look back upon the girl.

"Yoshiko-dono, this is your room. You may not have seen it in several years, but you should remember it."

Kisa blinked at the fragile man. They were calling her 'Yoshiko', too!

She painstakingly tried to conceal her frustrations as she tried patiently explaining to them who she was.

"I'm not Yoshiko, or whoever you're calling me. I'm Kisa."

The elders looked confused as they examined her. It was as if they thought that their age might have affected their eyesight.

"No, no," the elders muttered amongst themselves and addressed her.

"You are Yoshiko…"

"Akadou Yoshiko!"

"Do you not remember your true identity?"

More muttering came from the ancient looking group before her.

"Maybe he lied to us about her return?"

"Baki wouldn't have lied."

"The Kazekage…"

"His promise-"

"He's dead now…"

Kisa narrowed her eyes- she didn't like what she was hearing.

"I'm Kawamura Kisa. I was born and raised in the Hidden Village of the Sand with my older brother Kyo-"

"Oh, I see…"

Kisa- cut short by Reiko- was thoroughly confused by his comment.

"What… do you mean 'oh'?"

The leader made a motion for the other elders to leave the room- and they did so obediently. He turned back to the girl sitting on the lavished silk bed.

"So… _you_ are the Kisa…"

* * *

Gaara sauntered into his room. 

Not that it was much of a room- it didn't even have a bed- but it was a room enough for him.

However, right now he would have much appreciated a bed so he could slump onto it.

'_I could always go to Kankuro's room…_'

Gaara mentally shook away the thoughts.

The siblings had just arrived back at their home in the Sand Village- and each sibling went off to do… well… whatever they wanted to do.

The red haired shinobi really wanted to take a shower or a bath to help relax right then- however, Kankuro had headed straight for the bathroom- there was no telling how long he'd be in there. Gaara gave an inward sigh as he took off the gourd and let it lean in the corner of his room. He made his way to a nice cushion on the floor and practically fell onto it.

He didn't have the strength to do anything else.

Nothing interested him.

Nothing made him want to go on a killing rampage.

Nothing could take his mind off her.

He brought himself into a sitting position, with his head on his knees.

He couldn't forgive himself- he couldn't save her.

His dark-rimmed eyes closed.

What was this feeling inside of him?

Why did it slowly tear at him?

What was this feeling…?

This feeling…

Of nothingness.

* * *

Temari glanced up at the ceiling worriedly at the sound of a 'thump' from upstairs. 

She stood in the kitchen, halfway through taking out some vegetables to make dinner. Gaara's room was right above the kitchen.

'_Something… something is really bothering him…_' she mentally stated the obvious to herself.

Images of Gaara back at the cabin play through her mind again.

'_Gaara… he… he seemed so… gentle… with her._'

Silently, she set down a pot to boil the vegetables, as she was carried away in her own thoughts.

Definitely, Gaara hadn't been the same since they left the cabin. But he only seemed to get worse when Baki took Kisa away to the Akadou estate.

'_Poor Gaara…_'

Her train of thoughts suddenly came to a halt when the sound of the toilet flushing came from the bathroom.

'_Oh yeah… dinner…_'

"Kankuro!"

Sandy blonde hair appeared from the staircase.

"Yeah, what?" the unhooded puppeteer casually called out to his sister.

"What do you want to eat for dinner?" Temari asked, removing the armor from her outfit and replacing it with an apron.

"Eh?" Kankuro seemed appalled by his sister's actions, "You still have energy to make dinner?"

Temari blankly looked up at him.

"Why?"

Kankuro thought better of his questioning.

"Oh… Its nothing…" he scratched his chin where a couple of hairs were beginning to grow again, "I guess… shougayaki would do."

"Shougayaki?" Temari looked a bit troubled, "I know this was a long trip and all… but you really are asking for a bit much…"

Kankuro was about to protest, but decided not to when he saw Temari willingly bringing out the frozen pork.

"…Why?"

Temari looked up confused at Kankuro's question.

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"You're being… nice, all of a sudden."

Temari looked down at the knife in her hands. But didn't answer as she began using the knife to expertly cut the pork into pieces. Kankuro patiently waited for an answer.

"Ne… otouto-chan…"

Kankuro would have groaned at the name calling, had it not been for the serious tone in her voice.

"What is it, nee-san?"

Temari's bangs covered her eyes.

"…You… You saw it, too. Didn't you?"

"You mean the nice Gaara?"

The sister's head nodded.

"Yeah…"

"You know, Kankuro. We haven't really had a family dinner time since Mom died…" she stopped to pour the pork into the pan, "I would like it if we could… for us to be a family… to care for each other…" she flipped the pork about the pan, "I would like that very much."

Kankuro smiled at the back of his elder sister.

"… Me, too."

Temari continued to fry the pork.

"… Thanks Temari…"

The fan-user looked back up in time to see the sandy hair disappear back around the corner of the staircase.

She gently smiled.

"No… thank you, Kankuro…"

* * *

Kisa could only stare at the leader of the elders as he finished his explaination of the past of a girl named Yoshiko. 

She had always known that she had been a part of an experiment that enabled her to mold chakra into solid matter.

She had always known that she had been put into another body for the purposes of the experiment.

Kyo had explained to her that she was being pursued by a clan who wanted her for the purposes of using her as a weapon.

Kyo told her how the clan planned to use her in conjunction with Gaara from the Kazekagure to take over rival villages, after they had used her to fulfill their purposes.

Kisa knew that she carried a great burden with her when she had fled from the Hidden Village of the Sand.

She had done it to save the lives of many innocent people… and to save Gaara.

But she hadn't been able to save Gaara- not from what she learned from him through their time together at the cabin.

She knew that she had failed to save the people that were most important to her.

But she hadn't known that she, herself, had taken the very life that another girl was supposed to have led.

Kisa blinked back the tears of realization.

According to what the elder had just explained to her… She, Kisa, had been put into the empty soulless cavity of a girl named Yoshiko.

While her soul had taken over the body of Yoshiko, Yoshiko's soul had been sealed within her.

It definitely explained why she had been dreaming strange dreams recently.

But it didn't explain why another voice had popped into her mind.

Nevertheless, Kisa now realized that the very group of people she had been avoiding for seven years had finally caught her.

She had to escape somehow…

"Ano… Reiko?"

The elder's green eyes looked at the girl- the heir to their bloodline.

"I'm not Yoshiko… I'm Kisa."

Reiko understood what she had implied, but did not concede.

"So you are…" he turned to the door and opened it, "So you are…"

The door closed.

And locked.


	15. Cause I Feel You

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**Cause I Feel You**

"Gaara…"

The red haired boy opened his eyes and was greeted by darkness.

He wondered how long he had been spacing out just like that.

"Gaara?"

His dark-rimmed eyes traveled to the beam of light that shone into his room. Kankuro stood in his doorway, cautiously poking his head in.

The elder brother watched the small movements of acknowledgment from his little brother.

"Temari made some shougayaki…" Kankuro explained slowly, "Do you want to come eat dinner with us?"

Only silence came from the dark figure in the room.

Honestly, Kankuro hadn't known what to expect from the terror of the Kazekagure- he just simply went to Gaara because his sister wanted him to.

In reality, Kankuro was mentally shaking in his boots- he would have been stuttering and gulping had he not known that these things only irritated Gaara and probed him just to kill faster.

Then again, Kankuro did want some quality time with the baby of what was left of their family. The youngest of the three orphans… and the deadliest of the three. Kankuro found this fact somewhat amusing in a sadistic way. Both him and his sister had been ready to die any second, til now…

Now they had the hope that Gaara still had a child deep within him somewhere. Proof of the existence of Gaara's naïve side had been revealed- and Kankuro and Temari wanted to bring that side of Gaara out. They wanted him to live life the way he should have… the way he should have without the demon lying dormant within him.

Kankuro felt a bit foolish thinking this… but he wanted Gaara to be… happy.

The brother gave a sigh as he turned to go.

"Well, if you change your m-"

"I'll come."

Kankuro almost gaped at Gaara's response, but barely kept himself in check as he nodded and headed back downstairs.

Gaara was left in his room as he watched Kankuro's back disappear.

Honestly, he didn't know why he had agreed to eat dinner with them.

He hadn't had a real family dinner in… well… probably forever. He used to eat with Yashamaru…

Almost he didn't really favor eating the grilled pork, Gaara figured it was edible enough. And although Temari wasn't the best cook around, she definitely wasn't too shabby. At least she was getting somewhere.

'_How pitiful…_' Gaara thought drearily to himself as he made his way to the door, '_Comparing myself in my usefulness in life to being useful in the kitchen…_'

* * *

(warning: vulgarity :X) 

"LET ME OUT, DAMMIT!"

Kisa pounded her gloved hands on the hard oak.

"LET ME OUT!"

The girl slowly slumped onto the carpeted floor next to the door.

"Please…"

She curled into a ball, bringing her legs to her chest. Her eyes were stinging with hot tears threatening to spill forth.

Kisa glared at the black cloth that fitted her hands.

Without her hands… she was nothing- she knew that.

'_Am I _this _weak?_'

With what little hope she had left, she raised a hand to the lock of the door- willing for her chakra to fill the keyhole so she could mold it into a key.

But the gloves held in her chakra.

And she still remained locked in Yoshiko's room.

'W_hat am I going to do?_'

She wanted to cry- she didn't know what to do without her abilities.

'_Why am I so helpless?_'

She wanted to see him just one more time- she wanted to- she _had_ to tell him the truth.

'_Why can't I do anything on my own?_'

She wanted to wake up- there was still hope that this was just a bad dream- a nightmare.

_Then why don't you?_

Kisa sat up, looking around for the voice that had spoken so clearly to her.

"…Who's there?"

_Nobody is here… its just you._

Kisa almost let out a squeak when she felt the door move.

Or at least she had thought it was the door moving.

'_A shadow clone?_'

Once again, a featureless figure stood before her- except, this time it was real.

"Kisa-sama… Please do not struggle. Rest."

Kisa blinked at the fact that it had called her by her name.

"You know who I am?"

The figure just bobbed as it seems to hover above the ground.

"You are Yoshiko's replacement."

_What a vague description they gave them,_ the voice in her head spoke annoyed.

"What…"

The clone moved closer to her, reaching out with shadowy arms.

"Please. Rest."

Kisa back into the door, as she tried resisting the clone's pull on her arm.

"Get off me, you scumbag!" (_I love ff9!_)

Suddenly, a pain exploded from within her- consuming her entire body.

Her world went dark.

* * *

Kankuro sat back, rubbing his overly stuffed tummy as Temari daintily wiped her mouth and Gaara just leaned back against a wall and closed his eyes. 

It had been a quiet meal between the three of them- but a good meal at that.

What more could he have asked for?

After all, they were THE Sand Siblings- no one (not even themselves) could have asked for a nice conversation over dinner. And so they had eaten the prepared meal silently.

In the end, Kankuro had to admit that that had been the best meal he had had in quite some time.

Heaving himself onto his feet, the middle sibling began clearing the table- a gesture of thanks to his sister for making some _real_ food for them.

Temari was actually surprised by the usually lazy brother's willingness to help out. She glanced over to Gaara to see him still sitting with his dark eyes closed. He didn't seem to be too upset about Kisa. Slowly, she got to feet as she went to the kitchen.

"Here, I'll do the dishes," she smiled affectionately at Kankuro. (_scary_ _how they're getting along so well, isn't it?_)

"I'll wash the dishes."

Temari and Kankuro froze.

Surely, the end of the world had come too soon. Temari still had things that she wanted to do- like buying that purse that she had seen in the store windows as they had made their way back home. And Kankuro… well… he just wanted to eat more before the world ended.

But no… the world hadn't ended.

Gaara just wanted to wash the dishes for them.

Temari and Kankuro exchanged worried glances and examined Gaara closely before they stepped aside, allowing him to access the sink.

The two elder siblings stood at a distance as they watched entranced by the fact that THE Sabaku no Gaara, Terror of the Kazekagure, Monster of the Suna, was doing the dishes.

Again, they exchanged worried glances, and then reluctantly left to their own businesses as Gaara simply stood there washing the dishes.

* * *

Gaara stood for some time, letting the cool water run over his fingers. He had grown accustomed to the usefulness of hot springs; it was a wonder that this Village in the desert even had enough water for him to run his hands under right then. 

Maybe he could take a bath later?

'_It's a waste of precious water…_' his mind reprimanded him. (_Ironic, ne?_)

He wanted to sigh, but held it back knowing that Temari would probably hear it.

He grimly smiled in his mind to himself as he felt the cool liquid caress the soft skin of his palms.

It was like the touch of the girl who gently played with his hair while he slept.

Yeah, Gaara had always known- but who was he to tell her to stop it?

Not to mention he liked it too…

He closed his eyes- he didn't really like the way his trail of thoughts was leading him.

How much was he really asking for?

To have her there by his side again.

To have her laughing with him.

To just… have her.

Gaara opened his eyes as he picked up a plate and the sponge.

He knew he had always been spoiled. But what could he say? His father spoiled him on purpose. A way of appeasing the monster, he supposed.

Nevertheless, he knew what he wanted now… and he was going to get it.

* * *

Temari let her tense shoulder drop into a slackened slouch. 

Kankuro had given her a reassuring nod before heading up the stairs to his bedroom.

'_To sleep off that potbelly of his,_' Temari said to herself, '_Like always…_'

The sound of soft clinking of plates brought Temari back into the physical world. She looked around for something to do.

'_Well… I could always polish my fan…_'

Just as Temari reached out for her oversized weapon, a knock came to the door.

Glancing at towards the kitchen, she silently moved to the door- there was only one person who knew they were home- and Gaara would definitely not be happy about his visit.

As quietly as she could, she pulled the door open to the small crack.

"Baki…"

* * *

Just as Kankuro was about to lose himself within a dream of scantily dressed, hot girls (who looked a lot like Kisa for some reason) and tons of food, his door opened, letting the bright light of the hallway light flood in. 

"Ugh…" he groaned rolling over onto his stuffed tummy while smothering his face into the pillow.

"Kankuro."

The middle sibling groaned a second time as he pulled his blankets around his head.

"_Kankuro!_" a harsh whisper came from his doorway.

"Nani?" he finally answered the extremely rude somebody who dared to steal him away from his hot girls and food.

"Baki just stopped by…"

This grabbed Kankuro's attention as he lifted his head to listen. Temari listened for a moment, then stepped into his room and closed the door as soon as she heard the steady streaming of water from the kitchen.

"He… gave us orders…" she spoke in a hushed voice.

Kankuro was completely alert now.

"What were they?"

"He…" Temari moved skillfully about the messy room and approached the bed.

Kankuro was sitting up in his bed now as Temari stopped at his bedside.

"He… wants us to stop Gaara."

The dim light of the crescent moon that barely lit the otherwise pitch-dark room, allowed Temari to see the full expression of shock written all over Kankuro's face.

"W-what?"

Temari looked sad and spoke gravely to him.

"He wants us to stop him… at all costs."


	16. I Feel You Near Me

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**I Feel You Near Me**

"Wh-what? Why?" Kankuro was bewildered, "How?"

Temari shook her head – nothing was making sense anymore.

"I don't know, Kankuro. I don't know."

The younger brother lifted a hand to his sandy hair – ruffling it from its pressed state.

"Well… at least – he did say why… right?" Kankuro spoke softly in a hurried voice.

Temari looked down at her lap.

"Baki mentioned something about the Akadou girl – I think he meant Kisa – and that we can't let Gaara go anywhere near her now."

Kankuro was lost- they had brought back their brother as well recover a great weapon for the Sand – was this not enough? Did they really treat Gaara so much like an object that they would ignore his will and keep him away from the girl now? It was unjust.

"Life is so unfair," Kankuro absentmindedly commented.

"Well, anyone who says otherwise is selling something," Temari answered him with a small smile playing on her lips.

But Kankuro knew that she wasn't just smiling – grimacing pain danced about her features as well.

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. There was only one question that he needed for Temari to answer.

"Are you really willing to take away the one thing that might actually mean something to-"

Silence eroded the room.

Temari's response came in a short breath.

"Oh crap…"

The sound of water faucet stopped – silence flooded the whole house.

The two siblings exploded from the room, flew down the stairs, and fell into a confused pile downstairs, in front of Gaara.

"…"

Gaara watched in silence as Temari and Kankuro untangled themselves from each other and standing up hastily. Uneasiness washed about the two other siblings as they tried to find words for what they needed to say. Gaara was starting to look the slightest bit annoyed by the fact that his brother and sister were blocking his way to the door.

"What do you want?"

Temari swallowed her fear and gathered what courage she had to speak out.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

Temari tried to catch Kankuro's eye, but he was staring at Gaara. His whole frame seemed to be trembling.

"G-Gaara… y-you're not going to go after th-that girl… are you?"

The red haired boy simply looked at his siblings as they seemed to hold their breaths, waiting for his reply.

'_Am I just trying to find Kisa?_' he subconsciously thought, '_What am I really doing?_'

* * *

"Ano…" Kisa rocked back and forth on her heels, "Are you tired, Gaa-chan?" 

She almost giggled aloud when he saw him noticeably stiffen. He had thought that last night was something special – something that would never happen again… well, at least not happen again anytime soon. Falling asleep was one thing, but falling asleep with _Kisa_ was another. Or so he thought.

"No."

Kisa raised at brow at his back. Who was he trying to kid?

After having woken up to the sight of Kisa practically on him, he had shot right out of bed. The blush didn't leave his cheeks for another twenty-or-so minutes. However, for the rest of the day, Kisa noticed him hovering near the bed – as if he wanted to lie on it. Not that Kisa didn't mind it at the least, but he could afford to be more assertive about it.

Whether or not he would admit it, it was obvious that Gaara was tired and he definitely wanted some sleep. Then again, there was only one bed in the cabin – and Kisa wasn't going to let Gaara sleep on the floor anytime soon.

So together on the bed it was. However, Kisa couldn't tell if this reaction was due to the teenage cooties or just because the events of his past without her had made him this pompous.

'_Whatever…_' Kisa grumbled to herself. She was tired, herself, and a pompous Gaara was definitely not going to get in her way of beauty sleep.

"Okay then," Kisa smiled at her companion, giving him a goodnight wave before lightly jumping into bed and snuggling under her covers.

She heard Gaara saunter some ways towards a cushion in the dark before quietly sitting on it.

Her memories of his openness last night replayed in her head. She couldn't figure out why he was being so… so… boyish.

She blinked before snuggling even deeper into the bed.

No, sir. Gaara was _not_ getting in her way of sleep.

Minutes ticked by as the two occupants of the cabin quietly drifted apart. One to her dreams and the other to his meditating – but not for long anyways.

As soon as he heard her breathing becoming steady, he slowly arose from his spot on the ground. He was getting really tired just sitting there – he needed to move about. Nevertheless, he'd never tell Kisa that.

Silently, he padded about the room, careful to avoid any misplaced objects.

Suddenly, he found himself at her bedside. He blinked to himself, questioning his feet how they carried him here. As he turned to walk about the room again, he was drawn back to her by the sound of her breathing.

'_At least she's not sleep-talking this time…_' he thought.

Gaara stood there for a few more moments, listening to the constant and soft breathing. No thoughts came to his head, other than the sound of her breathing. He stood, almost entranced.

He probably hadn't noticed, but soon enough, he moved slightly, causing his arms and legs to burst into pain.

'_When did my arms and legs go numb?_' he wondered. He must have been standing there for quiet some time.

"I guess I _am_ tired…" he quietly admitted to himself, as his head nodded.

He blinked several times, trying to keep himself awake.

'_Kisa wouldn't mind. I'm sure._'

Gaara leaned on the bed with his arms – only moving his body weight off enough to give the sleeping figure of Kisa a push towards the wall. Luckily enough, she groaned and rolled over, allowing enough space for Gaara to lie on the bed now.

Smiling sleepily, Gaara let his full weight fall onto the bed. He reached over to Kisa to grab some of the blanket that he knew was wrapped about her – but drifted off to sleep before his hand had even found it.

He gave a content sigh as he let himself be swept away to the land of dreamless sleep. His hand that never found the blankets had found another warmth which he wrapped his arm about and drew closer to himself.

And so the two childhood friends slept – his arm wrapped about her waist and her back to his chest. The two found a perfect fit with each other, even in their sleep.

* * *

"I don't know." 

Gaara lowered his gaze to the floor.

"I don't really know what I'm doing… what I'm about to do."

Temari and Kankuro exchanged confused glances. Was he trying to threaten them?

"There's… this feeling. I don't know what it is. I don't understand it," Gaara spoke, looking at the palm of his hand, "It tells me that… I need something."

"Gaara?" Temari stepped forward to her brother.

His dark ringed eyes closed. It was then that Kankuro noticed it – Gaara's eyes weren't so dark anymore.

'_What happened at the cabin?_' he wondered.

"It's almost as if I've been walking in the dark… lost. I've thought about it… and I can't find any other reason. I need her," he looked back up at his sister, "I want her to be by my side."

"Gaara…" Temari took another step towards him.

"I know it sounds selfish… but-"

"It _is_ selfish, Gaara."

Gaara turned his pale eyes to his brother.

"I don't know what to do without her!"

Temari and Kankuro froze. Silence rang about them, letting Gaara's words slowly sink in. A smile inevitably crept onto Kankuro's features.

"Y-You…" he brought a hand to ruffle his hair again, "You love her, don't you?"

Gaara looked a bit shocked.

"Love?"

_Its 'love'._

The youngest sibling blinked at the memory.

'_Yashamaru said that…_'

"… I do?"

"I guess there's no choice then…"

Gaara looked at his sister.

"What do you mean?"

Temari looked at her youngest brother solemnly.

"Our orders were to stop you from getting anywhere near Kisa," Temari explained, watching shock erode Gaara's features, "…At all costs."

"Then you…" Gaara's shock turned into a glare.

"I've decided," Temari went on, ignoring Gaara, "that Kankuro and I have failed this mission."

"Eh?" Kankuro looked at his sister, confused.

Gaara gaped at his sister.

"How come you get to decide if we failed it?" Kankuro asked her, annoyed.

"I'm a girl!" Temari laughed at him, "I understand this better than you."

Kankuro caught Temari's contagious smile.

"Why are you doing this?"

Temari turned and smiled at Gaara.

"Because it's love."

Gaara could only stare as his sister walked away to the living room.

"Go get her, you lover boy!" Kankuro made his catcall as he headed back up to his room.

Gaara was left alone, standing by the door. Slowly, everything sunk in, as he was reassured of his plight.

"Thanks, Temari… Kankuro…" he softly spoke, almost in a whisper.

Controlling his sand gourd to levitate its way downstairs, Gaara pick it up, opened the door, and left.

* * *

Gaara stood before a set of gates. He had found the Akadou estate quite easily – it being basically the only estate in the Village. 

_A-ka-dou_, Gaara read the simple wooden nameplate hanging to the side of the wooden gates.

They certainly didn't waste any of their fortune on welcoming the outside world.

Suddenly, the shadows of the gate began moving, catching Gaara off guard.

'_Shadow clones?_' Gaara now stood alert as the shadows to shape before him.

"Please. State. Business."

Gaara gave the two figures a weird look.

'_Servants…_'

"I want to see Kisa."

One of the dark figures bowed and melted back into the shadows.

"Please wait…" the other shadow clone spoke.

Gaara stared at the clone- such a strange way of service.

Suddenly, a loud creak came from the oak doors as it was pulled open.

"Gaara-sama…"

The red-haired boy stared incredulously as a little old man hobbled out from the gates.

"What brings you to our humble abode?"

"I came for Kisa."

If the elderly man was surprised at all, he had recovered from it well, for Gaara could not tell a difference in his expression.

"There is no such person here."

'_Is he toying with me?_' Gaara thought annoyed.

"I'll advise you to not try my patience."

The elder looked taken back.

"There is no Kisa here-" he hastily explained.

"Then the other girl," Gaara spoke, unnervingly, "…Yoshiko."

The elder was shocked.

"H-how do you know of her?" he questioned.

"That is none of your concern," he spoke coldly, "Now… let me see her."

"No," the elderly man spoke with a quiver in his voice.

"I told you once before," the genin began controlling the sand about him to swirl about his feet, "Do _not_ try my patience."

"Not on my very life will I let you see Yoshiko-sama."

Gaara's pale eyes pierced the elder's bright green ones.

"Then I will take your life…" Gaara spoke as the sand about him went for the elder.

"I'm home!"


	17. Healing Comes So Painfully

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**Healing Comes So Painfully**

Gaara froze. He knew the voice. The voice he had longed to hear… It was _her_.

"Kume-jii-san?" she spoke as she approached the two figures in their odd poses.

Gaara turned to the voice.

"G-Gaara!"

"Kisa…"

Shock was written all over her features. She ran to him, embracing him tightly as if there were no tomorrow. Just as Gaara was beginning to enjoy the feeling of her being near him again, she pulled herself away. Taking hold of his hands, she looked like she was going to cry.

"Yos-" the elder paused to correct himself, "Kisa-sama…"

Kisa averted her attention from Gaara.

"Leave us, Kume-jii-san," she spoke with an authority in her voice, "Please."

The elder bowed deeply and retreated to the interiors of the estate.

For some reason, her hands felt wet and warm, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers to see why.

The brown swirls of her eyes weren't brown anymore…

'_They've_ _become… green…_'

"W-Where… Why…?" she asked with a shaky voice, "Where have you been this whole time?"

Gaara stared at her.

"…What?"

"All these years!" she looked at him with wide eyes, "How could you leave me alone for all these years? And not even coming to visit me… not even once!"

Gaara stared at her incredulously.

"What are you talking about… I-I've…" he was confused, thinking about the past month they had spent together, "I didn't know where you were…"

"I've been here for that past six years!"

Gaara continued to stare as her grip on his hands tightened.

'_Six years…?_'

"How could you say that?" she asked him with tears in her eyes, "The elders told me that you knew that I came here."

She looked away as she let go of his hands.

Gaara brought a hand to her face, bringing to look back at him. That's when he noticed.

'_Blood?_' He stared at his hand that had touched her cheek. He looked down to see that her hands and most of her forearms were covered with blood.

"Kisa?"

The girl took her hands away from him quickly.

"Oh… I'm sorry," she said as a clear blue substance filled her hands and turned into a towel, which she used to wipe off some of the blood on her hands and cheek, "I was just on a mission- I guess I just forgot to clean up."

Gaara just blinked at her.

'_She was on a mission?_' he wondered, trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, '_She hasn't been back for more than a day… and she's already doing missions?_'

"Maybe… I shouldn't have overreacted," she spoke quietly, "It's just… I was really shocked that you finally came. But it's okay that you didn't come to see me before… It's not like you can change the past."

She turned to him again, and took his hands and began wiping the blood off them for him.

Gaara took this time to examine what she was wearing.

Kisa had on a white, sleeveless kimono top with a long, dark blue cloth wrapped about her stomach and tied into a bow in the back. She wore a long, white skirt with gold designs that had two long slits on either side, exposing her tight dark blue pants. (_Basically put Sheena, from Tales of Symphonia, and Fina, from Skies of Arcadia: Legends, together_) The thing that caught Gaara's eyes the most were her arms. Though she had tried to clean off most of the blood, her lightly tanned skin was stained by the red substance. Not only that, she had on many more arm bands in addition to her usual two leather bands around her wrists. A metal band was about her left arm, above her bicep and a long dark blue sleeve below that that covered most of her arm until her mid forearm. Her right arm held a gold coil and three bands- one above her elbow and two below.

As he examined her new outfit, he noticed that there was a gold choker about her neck- a choker that held many small designs on it. He wanted to lean in closer to see what the designs were, however, he would end up being too close to another part of her body that he didn't want to be too close to right now.

"You know… I've learned a lot while I was here-"

"During the _six_ years?" Gaara added in to test her.

She stiffened a little bit.

"Yes… _six_ years…" she trailed off as she finished wiping his hands clean, "Actually… Gaara… it doesn't feel right."

Gaara looked at her curiously as she began to run her fingers over the palm of his hands.

"It's so strange… The last time I remember seeing you was when we were just children. You've grown up so much…"

Her hands closed around his.

"But the way I feel right now, it doesn't feel like the feeling of missing you for six years…"

She looked up at his eyes again.

"I… I don't remember being here for the past six years…" she looked as of she were searching for the answer in his eyes, "I know that the elders wouldn't lie to me- but its as if those six years… they feel so surreal."

"Kisa…"

Something lit up in her mind for she suddenly smiled.

"Do you want to come in?" she spoke, turning slightly red, "It must have been quite a walk to come here and here I am, not being a good hostess…"

"Oh…" Gaara said while he contemplated how the elders respected Kisa, "… Sure."

* * *

"Reiko," the elder called Kume, bowed slightly before the other old man, "The demon-boy, the son of the passed Kazekage, has come." 

"Oh?" Reiko spoke, turning from the blossoming trees.

"He is currently with the girl in Yoshiko-sama's body."

Reiko stood.

"Oh, come now. We cannot be impolite to the _princess_," he said as he walked past Kume, "Her name is Kisa."

Kume nodded with a slight smile.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Gaara couldn't keep his eyes from wandering. There was so much to look at, and in every direction, too. The word 'estate' certainly fit the description of the Akadou's place. 

Upon entering through the large wooden gates, it seemed as if they had been transported into an entirely different world. Huge didn't even begin to describe just how big it was.

However, there was something that bothered Gaara about the whole place.

"Where is everybody?" he asked the back of Kisa as she led him through the estate.

"The elders are in the Elder's Chambers," she responded, not turning.

'_Strange…_' he thought, "What about the adults and children?"

Kisa stopped for a moment, causing Gaara to almost run into her.

"There are none…" she said, and then turned to look at him with a big smile on her face, "Are you tired? We're almost there…"

She took hold of his hand and began walking faster through the deserted hallways that seemed like streets.

* * *

After having walked for what seemed like half an hour, they reached large oak door that were elaborately decorated with gemstones and intricate designs. 

"This is it…" she turned to her companion, smiling, "I hope you like it…"

She pushed the doors open.

Gaara stood amazed at the interior of the room. It was like a palace within an estate.

'_It's like a royal chamber from a fairy tale,_' he thought, gaping.

"This…" he said, turning to her, "This is _your_ room?"

"Yep," Kisa answered, walking casually into the gigantic room, "This is my room."

Gaara followed her in slowly.

Looking about him, he noticed that despite the room was wonderfully lavished, it was terribly simple.

"So…" Gaara spoke eyeing everything around him, "Where is everything?"

Kisa laughed.

"Well," she spoke plopping down on her bed, one of the three items of furniture in her room, "I can just make anything that I want…"

Gaara turned to her.

"How about _real_ stuff?"

Kisa rolled her eyes.

"I have that."

Kisa pointed across her room to a mirror. Gaara just looked at her funny.

"Back when Yoroi-nii-san was still here, we would talk to each other through that," she explained as a bright blue ball formed in her hands, "It works when I put chakra in it."

Kisa stood and tossed the ball at the mirror. Gaara stood amazed as the surface of the reflector began rippling then stopping to reveal a room that looked similar to Kisa's, except not as big nor as lavished.

The girl gave a shrug as chakra streamed back out and into her outstretched hands and the mirror returned to its normal state.

"I don't really need anything… since I'm out most of the time doing missions."

Kisa rolled onto her stomach.

"Which reminds me- I'm going to be leaving for a mission to the Hidden Mist Village in two days! "

Gaara's silence gave her permission to go on.

"I'm so excited! I can't wait to go… I've never been out of the Hidden Sand…"

Her words caught Gaara's attention.

'_What did she just say?_

"I think all I have to do is kill some nobleman, but I hope have enough time to go look around."

"But… you've been out of the Hidden Sand before…" Gaara tried explaining, "You've only just come back…"

Kisa raised a brow.

"The mission that I was just on was in this Village. I've never been out of the Village because Kyo-nii-san has never allowed it," Kisa said, "Oh yeah… I hope Kyo will be okay with me leaving."

Gaara stared.

"You… You don't remember?"

Kisa looked at him questioningly.

"Remember what?"

Gaara looked deep into her foreign eyes.

"Kyo-san is dead- he's been gone for the past four years," he spoke slowly as he came nearer to her, "And you… you've been living outside of the Village for the past six years. Do you not remember this?"

Kisa could only stare as she let his words sink in.

"What-," she said disbelieving, "What did you say?"

Gaara reached for her.

"Kis-"

"How dare you say that!" she exclaimed, flinching away from his touch, "Why are you lying to me?"

"Kisa," Gaara stepped towards her again, "It's the truth! The elders must have been lying to you…"

Kisa backed away, holding her hand before her defensively.

"They would never lie to me… Why should I believe someone who hasn't-"

"They would lied to you so they can use you!" Gaara said, pinning her to the wall with his hands on either side of her shoulders.

Kisa glared at him.

"What would you know about me?"

Gaara was speechless, but it didn't stop him from trying.

"I-I… I… I don't want them to use you…"

Kisa's glare bore right through Gaara as the green spiral in her eyes seemed to expand.

"I owe this clan a large debt- and I am going to repay it… whether or not they are using me."

Two slender, bloodstained fingers went to the boy's neck- lightly putting pressure on the pale skin.

"Kisa?"

Gaara stared as the green spiral melted into her brown pupils- making them mostly green with small brown accents.

"I was born to be an assassin. I live to kill- that is who I am."

The red-haired shinobi stared hard into the spiral-less eyes.

"You… You aren't Kisa."

The girl smiled.


	18. And It Chills to The Bone

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**And It Chills to The Bone**

SORRY THAT I'VE BEEN AWAY FOR SO LONG!

Uh… oh yeah, depending on how yall respond (yes, I did just say 'yall'… I AM Texan) I'm debating on the ending right now… I can't figure out if I shall appease the crowd with a happy-hunky-dory ending that's UBER cute **OR** make yall cringed with a ridiculously sad ending… or maybe I'll even just write two endings? I'm not exactly sure… ANYWAYS! Yall have **7** (**SEVEN**) chapters left to review… then it's the end… (3

----

Gaara sat completely still as he leaned against the wall of his dark bedroom. The house was completely silent – Temari was out somewhere and Kankuro was… well, Kankuro was somewhere in the house… probably sleeping without snoring, for once. It was so quiet that Gaara could hear his own breathing – long and shallow.

His dark rimmed eyes closed – and there she was again.

In the short moment of having been so close to her – he had memorized the contours of her face and upper body. Her baby fat was almost completely gone. Her skin was darker than it had been when she was still a child. Yet, he thought, there was something different about her that time than their weeks of bliss together.

'_Something…_', he meditated to himself as he opened his eyes.

He could still feel her close to him… though he felt so cold now. Gaara swallowed with some degree of difficulty. He could still feel her slender fingers pressed against his throat. The unanswered questions flooded his mind again.

_Who… are you?_

_How… did this happen?_

_When… did you become like this?_

_Where… are you, Kisa?_

_How… could I let this happen?_

But the one question that pierced him to his very soul, the one question that was screaming in his ears through the silence… _why?_

Gaara felt himself trembling again. But with what, he could not understand. Was it rage? Was it anger? Was it grief? Was it fear? What made his body react this way?

His folded arms slid into an embrace around himself. His body didn't stop trembling.

_Why_…

_Why me?_

He felt himself curling up into a ball as he retracted himself from the world.

_Why did this happen?_

_WHY?_

Gaara hugged himself tighter, afraid that if he let go, he would shatter into a million pieces. Her name echoed in his empty, yet crowded mind. His lips trembled as he barely whispered her name.

"Kisa…"

_Let's_ _be friends._

_It's okay._

_You don't like my secret place?_

_I said it's okay… Gaara-kun._

_Call me Sa-chan._

_**Kisa…** **I love you…**_

_Friends forever, right?_

_You're acting so silly!_

**_I love you so much…_**

_I really missed you._

_Nii-san passed away._

**_But I couldn't protect you… I wasn't there when you needed me the most._**

_Hey there…_

_I washed your clothes for you._

_You must be getting cold._

**_You've always been there for me…_**

_Where have you been this whole time?_

_I've been here for the past six years!_

_I don't remember being here…_

_I've never been out of the Hidden Sand._

_I hope Kyo will be okay with me leaving._

_I owe this clan a large debt – and I am going to repay it… whether or not they are using me._

_I was born to be an assassin._

_I live to kill._

**_That wasn't you… It couldn't have been you._**

Gaara felt something inside of him break as a hot liquid began to blur his vision.

"Kisa…" he spoke as a single tear fell on his arm, "Where are you…? I need you…"

* * *

Outside his door, Kankuro sat perfectly still, barely breathing. When he finally heard his younger brother speak, he silently stood and made his way downstairs. 

'_Gaara…_' he thought, troubled.

It had been three days since Gaara appeared on their doorstep, unconscious as he was carried by shadowy figures. He (Kankuro) and Temari both had been completely shocked since they had just sent out their brother earlier that day. They had no choice but to bring Gaara to his room (they brought a sleeping mat in there for him) and wait for him to wake up – lest Shukaku came out. Gaara did wake up soon enough, and was dazed and confused when he first sat up to find his brother and sister staring at him. Then, when the memories had come back to him – he refused to speak or eat anything at all, troubling his siblings even more. They could only wonder what had happened during those few of hours at the Akadou estate.

Kankuro let out a sigh as he sat down on the couch. True love these days was as hard to find as it was to keep – which is why he already decided that he would have all the free sex and food that he could take.

'_But in the end,_' he contemplated, '_what good would all those wasted years be? Wouldn't I rather just find a girl that loves me as much as I love her and grow old with her?_'

Kankuro shook the thoughts out of his head – his future would come later. Right now, Gaara's life was more important.

'_Being in love with that girl is really kicking the crap out of Gaara, though._'

At that moment, Temari barged into the house. Yes, having a dysfunctional Gaara in the house was dangerous – but it didn't stop her from being herself.

"Kankuro!"

Kankuro lolled his head over to his sister's direction.

"Nani?"

"They put me on duty to escort the Leaf's new Hokage over here for some diplomatic-crap," she whined.

"Eh?" the puppeteer raised a brow, "Did they kick out the old one?"

"No…" Temari groaned as she pulled off her shoes and walked over to the couch, "He died."

"Oh," Kankuro said as his sister dropped her body onto the couch, "Well… so what about the escorting thing?"

Temari shrugged, "I don't know… but I really hate having anything to do with politics." She looked over to her brother. "You remember how Dad never had time for us because he was the kage?"

She paused for Kankuro to nod his sandy-brown head.

"Well, I guess that's one reason I hate politics."

Kankuro nodded understandingly as Temari stood and stretched.

"You know what? If you or Gaara ever – and I mean EVER – get into politics… like being the Kazekage or any elder stuff like that… I am so going to find a way to murder you then beat the crap out of you."

Kankuro smiled a bit as he watched his sister saunter into the kitchen.

'_That's just like Temari to say something like that…_' His brown eyes traveled to the kitchen ceiling. '_But… what has that girl done to you, Gaara?_'

* * *

"You… You aren't Kisa." 

The girl smiled.

"Of course…"

Her fingers pressed into Gaara's neck as she skillfully absorbed chakra from key points- knocking the boy unconscious in the process. Her devilish smirk melted away into an expressionless mask as she watched the red-haired shinobi fall to the ground before her feet.

"…I'm not."

She took a step over Gaara's body and used her foot to roll him onto his back. Bright green eyes examined the unconscious boy on the floor. Slowly, she looked towards the door with a dead look in her eyes.

'_I wonder…_'

Turning her head to the red haired boy on the floor again, she formed a seal with her bloodstained hands and chakra began flowing out of the gems on her bracelets and surrounded the boy, encasing him in a clear blue cocoon structure. Stretching out one arm, the mass of chakra began levitating as the girl led it out of the room.

Walking slowly, the girl made her way towards the largest chamber in the whole estate – the Elder's Chamber.

Huge oak doors loomed before the girl toting an unconscious Gaara behind her. Her eyes narrowed as she stepped forward to pull the heavy doors open and entered.

Before her were four elevated rows of six throne-like seats, each seated with an elder robed in white. At the center of them all, Reiko sat in a throne that was larger than the rest. Simultaneously, all the figures rose from their seats and bowed low before the girl. Reiko rose from his humble position first.

"We welcome you back… Yoshiko-dono."

Yoshiko stared unemotionally back at the head elder as the rest of the elders rose and returned to their seats.

"Thank you…" she spoke as she moved towards an unoccupied couch-like seat that faced the elder's thrones. Sitting down in it, she gesticulated, bringing Gaara's body encased in chakra next to her. A dim greenish glow that lit the Chamber strangely illuminated her bright green eyes, as well as the twenty-five elder's eyes. She examined the chamber for a bit, before speaking, "…that is considering it was you who had me sealed away to begin with…"

Her glowing eyes pierced the old man's eyes that reflected the same color.

"Isn't that right?"

Reiko bowed again.

"Please excuse our – my actions of so many years before… it was necessary."

Something flickered in Yoshiko's eyes.

"_Necessary_… you say?"

Within an instant, she formed a long spike out of chakra and threw it into the wall several millimeters away from Reiko's head.

"…_That_… is necessary," she spoke into the eerie calm.

Reiko remained in his respectful state, not showing the slightest bit of fear that the young girl had come close to slaughtering him.

"It is my wrong, Yoshiko-dono… We sought to preserve you."

The girl slouched into the seat.

"Whatever…," she muttered as her eyes traveled to the figure of the unconscious boy next to her, "And about this child…"

The rest of the elders, who had been slightly shaken by the girl's unpredictable actions, settled down as Reiko took his seat.

"This boy – what is his name?" Yoshiko spoke, unceremoniously dropping Gaara onto the hard, cold floor.

"Sabaku no Gaara," Kume spoke from his throne next to Reiko.

Yoshiko narrowed her eyes.

"Gaara…" she said, testing it. The name felt familiar, as it easily rolled off her tongue and created a warmer feeling within her body. It was a feeling that she did not welcome. For a moment, she felt herself being lost into a void that was frightening – a void that consumed all time and space. Words echoed against the timeless gap.

_You…_ _You don't remember?_

_The elders must have been lying to you…_

_They would lie to you so they can use you!_

_I… I don't want them to use you…_

Yoshiko shuddered, bringing herself out of the void. Whatever that boy had to do with the soul that was once in control of her body was something she didn't like. And whatever she didn't like had to go.

Reiko watched seemingly fascinated at the reaction the girl had to his name – her bright green eyes seemed to fade in and out in the dim lights, however, he rose respectfully when Yoshiko suddenly stood.

"Take him away from here," she spoke in short breaths, "I don't want him anywhere near me. Bring him back to where he belongs."

The chakra surrounding Gaara melted away into her bracelets as she rushed out of the Chamber.

Kume looked over to their leader.

"Reiko?" he looked at him questioningly.

The elderly man bowed his head.

"Have the shadows take him back to his home," he commanded as he slowly lowered himself back into his seat, "We'll just find another time."

Kume nodded as he bowed and back away, proceeding to leave the Elder's Chamber.

* * *

Gaara leaned in against the wind. He sat alone again on the rooftop of the Kazekage's office, his back facing the moon as he had done so many years ago. A summer's midnight breeze swept its way across the rooftops of the Kazekagure, softly brushing against the pale-skinned boy as it went by. 

Days had passed, as he had slowly emerged from his dark room. He had begun eating again – but not much. Eating seemed to be one of the farthest things in his mind. He had returned to his usual unstable self, losing his temper easily and giving murderous glares everywhere. He still talked little, but it hadn't stopped Kankuro and Temari from trying. Gaara knew that none of this was their fault, which resulted in him sulking on the rooftops again, in order to preserve his caring siblings. However, Temari had left a week ago for her mission; Kankuro wasn't about to approach him when he was like this.

'_After all… I can only blame myself for this happening… I hadn't stopped it._'

Again, the sudden urge to spill blood or destroy something came surging throughout his bloodstreams. His hands gripped the cement, trying to suppress the monster within him.

_BLOOD. I WANT BLOOD!_, the demon within him screeched.

Gaara grabbed his head, trying to force Shukaku away, but the demon just screamed louder. His eyes grew wide when he realized what the demon was seeking. From his lofty spot on the roof, Gaara could see a group of people moving through the streets. They were cloaked in dark robes, except for one figure in the middle of the group who wore a white robe.

His eyes narrowed – the movements of the group was quick as they seemed to be heading towards the hospital nearby.

_BLOOD! BLOOD!_, Shukaku screamed in his mind.

For a moment, Gaara thought he had seen long brown tresses – _her_ tresses. Crying with glee at the split moment of Gaara's unawareness, Shukaku took his chance. Suddenly, Gaara felt his body falling towards the earth. Just as he was about to hit the ground, sand swept up all around him, encasing his right arm and creating a tail. A second later, he found himself racing through the streets at a terrifying speed. Gaara felt his all senses being swept away by the overpowering need to shed blood.

* * *

Sixty yards away, on yet another rooftop closer to the moving group, a young man stood watching. So much had changed during his period of absence – especially that monster. The news of _her_ return had brought him here in a hurry. 

He crouched down lower on the rooftop. Slightly afraid and slightly bemused, he kept one eye on the group heading in his direction and another on the charging half-boy-half-something like monstrous beast. He had to keep a sharp eye on what was about to happen. It would prove whether he was ready for the task that lay ahead of him.

* * *

"Yoshiko-dono, please hurry." 

Bright green eyes glanced back up at the dark, hazy figure of Kume. Things were becoming fuzzy while the world seemed to be spinning. Yoshiko blinked again. Six other dark figures shifted about in their encircling formation as they hurried along the empty streets.

"Idiot…" Yoshiko spoke under her breath. It was his fault that they weren't going as fast as they could. '_Old fart…_'

Kume glanced back at the unsteady figure of Yoshiko. He silently cursed at himself – if anything happened to the girl, the blame would fall upon his head. Three days had passed since Yoshiko's return from her mission in the Mist Country. She had returned practically unscathed, except for a small gash on her shoulder that was almost healed. Kume, the elder in charge of Yoshiko's well-being, passed the recovering wound off as nothing and reported to Reiko that Yoshiko was completely fine. It wasn't until today that Kume realized as Yoshiko collapsed in the hallway that his inspection was flawed. Now, in the dark of the night, without telling the head elder, Kume hurried their princess out of the doctor-less estate to get her to the hospital before her condition worsened.

His small, beady green eyes darted about in search of some unwanted intruder. His pace quickened when the roof of the hospital came into sight.

'_I guess we'll be alright,_' he thought to himself, visibly relaxing as they neared the hospital.

As the group stepped into the wide street that the hospital was located on, a strong gust of wind swept through the road.

Kume turned his head towards the direction the wind had come from, having not expected any strong gusts at all. Only such an unexpected wind could bring foreboding disasters. Behind him, he heard a soft thump as he turned to see Yoshiko fall to the ground. Suddenly, he sensed that there was someone – '_No, some_thing,' he thought – there with them.

Turning his head to face the wind again, his green eyes widened with fright as the _thing_ that had caused the wind flew towards him.

* * *

Yoshiko lay on the ground, watching the dark world fade into a black nothingness. 

Her unstableness overpowered her as the wind blew harder and harder.

As she struggled to keep conscious, she saw flashes of black, red, white, and…

'_Sand?_'

The girl faded in and out of consciousness, hearing screams and shouts, not knowing if they came from her or someone else.

The last thing that she saw before her was the reddened scene.

'_Blood?_'

Her eyes closed.

'_Is it mine?_'

She felt herself drifting away.

'_Funny… it doesn't hurt anymore…_'

Somewhere, in the distance, she heard a strange, yet familiar voice calling her name.


	19. Won't Let Anyone Get Close to Me

**All I Ever Wanted Was Love**

**Won't Let Anyone Get Close to Me**

All right then. I've officially been spammed by reviews. Not that I don't appreciate it, Life's a Dance and Shtuff, but it almost gave me a heart attack when I opened my inbox to 30-some-odd messages. Usually I get 2 to 4 emails per day, and I am very happy with 2 to 4 emails per day, thank you very much. 30-some-odd emails was something I was NOT expecting. Then I see a little side window popping up saying I just got a review. Now that made me feel all warm and bubbly… that is… until I actually opened my inbox to find a solid wall of reviews. So what's my point in this? I guess… just thank you Life's a Dance and Shtuff, but I really hope yall don't do this all the time. It gave me the heebie-geebiez. XD

* * *

A gentle breeze floated its way down the wide street as a tall, dark figure stood over a corpse, bathed in moonlight.

'_Too easy…_,'

Blood continued to flow from the body.

'_This is just too easy…_'

Eyes shielded by dark shades scanned the area. A few feet away, a girl in white lay lifelessly. Behind him, a boy with violent red hair was unconscious in a small pool of his own blood on the cold hard street. It was hard to believe terrifying features had just been on such a calm looking face just a moment ago.

'_But I can't let my guard down with that kid around though,_' he reminded himself, '_I've seen what he can do… he's nothing more than a monster…_'

Again, the stranger's eyes scanned the area. To his relief, there seemed to be no enemies around.

He looked down at the body at his feet. Bright green eyes, glazed over with death, were still opened wide with fright and seemed to stare up at the young man. His eyes narrowed as he glared upon the corpse. The wounds where he had pierced him were starting to slow down the gush of blood. To his shock, what he saw in the tears of skin was not flesh – rather, it was a combination of wood and steel shreds. His eyes widened as the broken fragments began to piece themselves back together again.

Taking several paces away from the mending body, his eyes only continued to grow wider as the body began moving again. An eerie green glow began emanating from the body as it began to stand up again. The young man took a fighting stance, readying a kunai in his left hand as both hands began glowing blue.

"One…"

The young man seemed shock at the sudden speech from the once dead man.

"Only… one…"

The old man turned to face him, coughing out his words as blood splattered out. The young man readied himself to strike.

"Only one… person… would have the power… to do that to me…"

Taking his chance, the stranger rushed him, forcing his kunai surrounded by swirling chakra straight into the heart of the elderly man.

The old man fell to the ground again, but not before he called out the name of his opponent.

"AKADOU YOROI!"

* * *

Gaara opened bleary eyes to white.

There seemed to be no other color at first.

Just white.

Gaara squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the brightness of the room.

'_Ugh…_' he thought, '_It's too early for this…_'

His eyes shot open again.

'_Wait,_' he thought, his eyes scanning his surroundings, '_Where am I? How did I get here? Where is "here?"_'

Images of a darkness illuminated by a full moon, a flowing white robe, and blood crowded his mind then…

"KISA!"

Gaara sat up, gasping. His side hurt… like crap.

Annoyed at the pain, he lifted the light, white shirt off his stomach to expose his abdomen wrapped up in bandages.

'_I got hurt?_' he stared in painful wonder.

The boy squeezed his eyes shut. Never mind the pain, he had to find out where he was and more importantly, where Kisa was.

Wincing from the pain, Gaara slung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up in the extremely white room.

'_What the…_' Gaara noticed that he wasn't wearing anything other than the overly large, billowy shirt and boxers, '_Where are my clothes? Where are my pants?_'

Suddenly a young woman dressed in a short white dress stepped into the room holding a bundle of white and a clipboard.

"Ah!" She looked panicked when she saw Gaara standing there, "You're not supposed to be out of bed!"

Gaara glared at her in surprise, then remembering his… no-so-properly-clothed status, he blushed, pink tinting his cheeks.

"Wh-where am I?" he questioned her, trying not to show his embarrassment.

The young woman looked at him with curiosity.

"You're in the hospital…" she checked clipboard, "Gaara…"

Her brow furrowed as she read his name. Then glancing up again at the young boy, she looked down at the name scribbled on the board again.

"Gaara?"

The boy, who was in obvious pain now, gave her his best glare laced with anticipation. What would she do now? Throw everything into the air and run for her dear life?

The lady was staring at him now.

"Gaara?" she repeated, stepping closer to him.

"What?" he answered, very much annoyed now.

"Do… do you remember me?" The lady asked, now standing only three feet away from him.

Aquamarine eyes traveled across the face that beheld him with wonder. Could this really be her?

"Kimi…" her name was stuck on his tongue, "Kimi.. shu?"

Delight was evident in the young woman's face as she ran up and gave the boy a quick embrace.

Gaara remained motionless, but flinched at the pain from the hug from the dark-haired woman.

Kimishu took a step back from the red-haired boy, examining him from top to bottom.

"My, how you've grown!" she exclaimed.

Gaara gave her a funny look. Of all people, wouldn't a nurse at a hospital know who he was and what he had been doing for the past six years of incessantly killing people who pissed him off?

"I've been out of the Sand Country, studying medicine, you see," she spoke as if she had read Gaara's mind, "In fact, I was at Konoha, studying under their best medical nin, Tsunade-sama."

The country caught his attention.

"Konoha?"

Kimishu nodded.

Gaara couldn't believe it.

"Th-then… Kyo-san…"

The young woman turned away from her patient.

"I had only arrived one week before he passed away… and by that time, he was getting worse and worse. He was already asleep whenever I got the chance to visit him…"

Her eyes grew distant.

"I… I don't know if he ever realized I was even there…"

Gaara studied the love-sick woman before him.

"What about Kisa? You where there while she was still there…"

Kimishu turned to face the boy again and led him back to sit on the bed.

"Yes… I was there during that time as well."

"And?" Gaara questioned her, getting impatient.

"She…" the nurse trailed off, "She… didn't deserve this."

Gaara blinked at her.

"At first, when a group of us nurses-in-training were led into the rooms where the two boys were being kept in intensive care to take over for a small shift, we were shocked at the sight… It was horrible. We all thought that she was horrible… until we heard the real story.

"She doesn't deserve this, Gaara," Kimishu spoke sorrowfully.

Then Gaara remembered.

"Where is she now?" Gaara looked around the room again, as if she would be there somewhere, "Where is Kisa?"

Kimishu looked up at the frantic boy, her eyes showing plain confusion.

"Kisa isn't here…"

Gaara looked back at the young woman, confused.

"But there must be… she was there…"

Kimishu examined the boy before her.

"There was a girl checked-in here as well… I believe she was brought in at the same time as you… But her name isn't Kisa."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. That could mean only one other thing.

"Is her name Yoshito?"

Kimishu looked surprised at his answer.

"Do you mean _Akadou_ Yoshito?"

* * *

Gaara stood frozen in the doorway. 

There she was.

Kisa.

But not Kisa.

The features of the girl that he had come to cherish so deeply were limp and dead-like as the body of the girl lay on a white bed. There were tubes traveling all around her. Connecting here, inserting there, all pumping some foreign pale liquid.

Gaara released a breath that he hadn't realized that he was holding.

"Just for a minute, remember?" Kimishu breathed.

Gaara could only nod in return.

Behind him, the nurse silently pulled the door close and Gaara took a step towards the bed.

_Kisa…_

'_She's not Kisa,_' he reminded himself.

He took another step forwards.

_Kisa looks so peaceful._

'_This isn't Kisa._'

_What will Kisa say when she wakes up?_

'_This girl isn't Kisa!_'

Gaara stood at the foot of the pure white bed.

Slowly, he reached out a trembling hand to the bedpost.

'_It's cold…_'

His pale eyes traveled across the lifeless body that was barely breathing.

Gradually, he made his way to the corner at the end of the bed, running his hand along the metal of the bedpost. His eyes were locked upon her face. At this proximity, he noticed something that he hadn't noticed before: she was sweating.

Gaara's eyes narrowed at the memory that consumed him.

* * *

A miniature Gaara stood at the door to the Kawamura residence. 

Footsteps hurried from the upstairs, a clunk of wood resounded in the cove of the stairs.

Seconds later, the wooden door was pulled opened to reveal a very tired Kyo.

"Ah. Gaara," he spoke as his features grew into a warm smile, "You came…"

Gaara nodded, slightly blushing as he held an object concealed behind his back.

"Yes… How is she doing?" Gaara asked as Kyo ushered him into the house.

Kyo gave a slightly concerned look.

"I don't know…"

The two wearily looked at each other for a moment.

"I'm guessing you'll want to give her your present?"

Gaara nodded slowly.

Kyo looked towards the ceiling and gave a short sigh.

"Alright…"

The young man lead the boy up the stairs at the back of the house then down the hallway on the second story.

The two reached the door and Kyo gave Gaara another reassuring glance as he ushered themselves in.

Gaara, more or less, stumbled in, and found himself gaping at his best friend tucked into bed. Sweat covered her face as her breath was ragged and she broke into a coughing fit every few seconds.

Gaara shook himself out of his shock and gathered up his courage to approach the bedside.

Gaara felt a sturdy hand upon his shoulder.

"Don't."

Confused, the little boy looked back towards the older brother, questioning his actions.

"She'll kill you."

Gaara blinked.

Kill? Him?

Why?

Gaara kept silent as he followed the brother's gaze back towards the broken sister lying helplessly on the bed.

Kisa would never hurt him…

'… _Would she?_' the little boy questioned himself as a wave of doubt unexpectedly washed over him.

A new wave washed over him as he felt completely helpless. Slowly, Gaara revealed a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

"Desert Lilies…," Kyo echoed to himself.

Gaara sullenly nodded. The two both set off to work on placing the blooming flowers into a vase and putting the bouquet on a table stand next to the doorway.

"She'll love them," Kyo said in a reassuring tone as he gently began to usher the little boy out of the room.

Gaara turned his head to give one last glance at his ill friend. In the darkest shadows of her face, Gaara saw eyes flutter open, and where he had expected to see nothing but shadows, he thought he saw an emerald light glare through the darkness of the room.

* * *

"Desert Lilies…" Gaara whispered through the stillness of the room, "That's what you remind me of…" 

Still standing at the end of the bed, Gaara grasped the metal of the bedpost firmly in his pale hands. She was this close, yet she seemed so far.

This was Kisa. This _is_ Kisa, he told himself. His grip on the metal loosened.

'_I don't care anymore…_' he thought as subconsciously took steps along the side of the bed, his hand caressing the soft fabric of the bedcovers as he reached for hers.

"I love you, Kisa."

The whisper escaped his lips. Words that he had so longed to utter in her presence had spilled forth from his lips. His hand had found hers, and he took hold of her hand in his, holding it close to his heart. Gently, he lowered his head to her long slender fingers, slightly stained from soaking in blood, and placed a tender kiss upon her graceful hand.

"Don't leave me…"

His pale green eyes searched for a sign of reassurance in the emotionless mask that concealed the carefree-ness of the previous resident.

Suddenly, as if an answer to his prayers, the paper-thin eyelids began to flutter, and for a moment, Gaara found himself staring into the brown swirls he loves so much.

"…I won't"

Gaara felt himself unable to breath. The once limp hand found its vice grip around his wrist. The nin watched in horror as eyes of bright green eyes opened and stared straight into his own pale ones. Suddenly, he felt his whole body going limp. He found himself unable to stand and fell to the ground, trying to hold himself up by the side of the bed.

"Kisa?" he gasped, confused.

The grip held its place. Gaara's world faded away.

* * *

"Gaara…" 

Gaara felt his head swimming. What were those mumbling noises? What was going on?

He tried to get up, but couldn't. His body wasn't responding.

"…Gaara?"

His whole body felt numb – even his brain felt numb.

"Gaara!"

Gaara forced his eyes to open.

Above him, a shape emitting bright colors dangled before him. He wanted to touch it. It was telling him to touch it. But his arm wouldn't respond.

He slowly blinked a couple times, his eyesight readjusting to the amount of light in the room.

"Oh Kami… we almost lost you."

Gaara looked up.

"… Who…" he spoke weakly.

A blonde lady of her late twenties was leaning over him, her gigantic breasts hanging over him and a jeweled pendant dangling above him.

"Sakura!" the lady called behind her, "Come here."

Gaara's eyes were more open now as he started trying to make sense of his consciousness again.

"Tsunade-sama," a peppy pink-haired girl appears next to the blonde lady, "Are you alright?"

Beads of sweat rolled down the lady's face.

"Yes," she said, standing straight again. "Keep an eye out on him for now… I need to fetch his sister."

The breasts left and so did the pendent. Gaara rolled his eyes over to the pink-haired girl.

"… You…" he spoke with a small cough.

Sakura nodded solemnly as she looked down at Gaara.

Suddenly the screen door flew open as a noise came crashing in with it.

"Sakura-chan! Are you all right? Is Gaara all right?"

Gaara lolled his head over to the left to look towards the source of the noise.

"Gaara," A loud, blonde boy, no older than Gaara, pushed his way into the strange room.

The perky boy came into view alongside with the pink-haired girl.

"Weren't you guys the ones who beat me up that other time?"

The boy nodded proudly, but there was still a sense of respect to him.

"Yes, but we heard your story…" the boy announced, "We're here to help!"

"Great…" Gaara breathed and fell into a peaceful world of darkness again.


End file.
